• Proton launches business-focused migration tool for Gmail and more
• Both suites can run simultaneously to avoid downtime
• Proton doesn't make it easy to migrate away, though

Proton has launched a new Easy Switch for Business tool to help companies migrate from Google Workspace with minimal disruption and downtime, in the face of a growing number of companies looking to turn their backs on Big Tech.

The announcement comes as European businesses especially look to find alternatives to US software giants, amid concerns over data privacy, regulatory compliance and broader tech sovereignty.

Proton says its Easy Switch tool is meant to tackle some of the challenges companies are most worried about when switching, like operational disruption and cost.

Proton launches Google Workspace migration tool

While Proton's product offerings also include Drive, Docs and Sheets, this tool specifically relates to email, calendars and contacts.

Importantly, Google Workspace and Proton run simultaneously during the migration so there's no disruption. Users can continue as per normal while the change is happening without experiencing outages or disruptions.

It also means that IT teams and admins can move selected user accounts first and onboard teams in stages while running the two suites at the same time, affording them time to make sure things are running as expected.

Proton boasted that over 100,000 organizations – including newsrooms, law firms, tech companies, consultancies, NGOs and government agencies – have already moved to its platform.

The company doesn't currently offer a similar tool for Drive and the documents within it, instead forcing users to export from Google Drive and re-upload to Proton Drive.

More importantly, Proton doesn't have any mass migration or export system for its Drive for users seeking to move away from the platform. Due to file-by-file encryption, users must open and download every file individually.

• ChatGPT can now draft and send emails without leaving the chat window
• The feature currently works only with connected Gmail and Outlook accounts
• You can't send attachments, which limits its usefulness

I asked ChatGPT to write and send an email for me. It drafted the message, connected to my inbox, and prepared it for sending without me ever opening Gmail. For a moment, it felt like the AI assistant we've been promised for years. Then I tried to attach a file — and I was brought crashing back down to earth.

ChatGPT's new ability to send emails directly from within a chat, which quietly dropped yesterday, is available to most paid ChatGPT users in the web version of ChatGPT right now. It only works if you have connected your Gmail or Outlook account to ChatGPT, so it won't work across all email clients, and there are other limitations too.

For instance, as I discovered, you can't send attachments yet, which is a pretty big problem if OpenAI wants people to take ChatGPT more seriously as an AI assistant.

The final limitation is that you can't do this on Free or Go accounts, or through the ChatGPT apps on desktop and mobile. Sending emails is available only on the web version of ChatGPT for users on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans.

The first taste of an AI assistant

I have to admit, it was quite a thrill the first time I tried sending an email from within the chat. I used it to send an idea for a story to my work email address, and I asked ChatGPT to provide some background information on the subject. I didn't type out the whole email — I just trusted ChatGPT to come up with the contents and include the link to the source I provided.

ChatGPT told me exactly what it was going to do, and displayed a dialog box explaining the action it was about to take, asking whether I wanted to Allow or Deny it. I clicked Details to review the exact email it planned to send and, happy with what I saw, I clicked Allow. Seconds later, the email arrived in my work inbox.

Of course, it failed at sending an attachment, but the fact that you can do all of this from within the chat is what's impressive. If you're already working in ChatGPT, it means you can send an email without interrupting your flow.

One missing feature changes everything

If you haven't connected your Gmail or Outlook account, open Settings, choose Apps, then Add more, and search for either Gmail or Outlook to connect it.

What makes the feature notable is that not every AI assistant can do this yet. When I asked Gemini to send an email for me, Google's chatbot replied that it couldn't send messages directly, or access my accounts to do so. Gemini can help draft emails, but ChatGPT's ability to actually connect to your inbox and complete the task is a glimpse of where AI assistants are heading.

The new ability to send email might be limited right now, but like most things OpenAI releases, it's likely to improve over time. Even so, the lack of attachment support feels like a significant omission. Sending files is one of the most common reasons people use email, and until ChatGPT can handle that, and also deal with reading emails, it's difficult to see it replacing a traditional email client.

Still, it's a promising first step. I also hope to see support for more email providers in the future. Starting with Gmail and Outlook covers a huge percentage of users, though, so there's a good chance you can try the feature for yourself today.

Particularly beloved by coders, Claude is one of the best-known and most widely used AI chatbots around right now. One of its features is that it comes with Connectors: add-ons that let you link the prompt box to third-party services such as Spotify, Uber, and Slack.

Those Connectors include several Google apps, and I've been playing around with Claude's Gmail integration. Email is one of the biggest time sinks in my day, and if Claude could save me a few minutes here and there, it would be genuinely useful.

I was wary of letting an AI loose in my Gmail inbox, and there are reasons to be cautious, but Claude's analysis and actioning worked better than I expected. Here's how you can get started, and how the AI chatbot helped me.

Getting connected

There's obviously a privacy trade-off here: you have to be okay with Claude accessing your emails and seeing what you're up to.

Anthropic says personal data isn't used for marketing or to build up a profile of its users, though text may be used to train its AI models — if you're not happy with that arrangement you can disable it in Claude's settings.

There's also the very understandable worry that Claude will suddenly delete 100 emails behind your back, and it's another thing I was cautious about. However, I didn't come across any issues during my testing, and if you want Claude to take any actions on your behalf, you can force it to ask you for confirmation each time.

To connect to Gmail from the Claude web app, click the + (plus) button in the prompt box, then choose Connectors > Add connector and find Google's email platform.

You'll need to log into your Gmail account and confirm the connection, and you can then invoke the Gmail Connector by referring to "gmail" or "email" in your prompts.

You can also get some prompt ideas by clicking the From Gmail button under the prompt box. To begin with, I asked Claude to analyze my email organization methods: I like to be ordered and precise when it comes to email, and the AI was scarily good at spotting how I used labels, and the different buckets that I sorted my emails into (my inbox is a weird mix of work, friends, family, press releases, and general miscellany).

Claude also did a fine job of telling me which emails I often leave unread (newsletters, social media alerts, and promotions, mostly), and giving me a nudge about emails I haven't replied to. I also liked its recommendations for better optimizing my inbox, with intelligent suggestions for more labels and filters.

Your email inbox can say a lot about you, and Claude worked me out pretty fast. It can even do you a personal profile and interactive graphic based on your inbox: You can get an overview of the tones and styles you use most often. I'm "tersely efficient" and "low maintenance", so form an orderly queue, commissioning editors.

Managing emails

Scanning and summarizing is handy, and tends to be what AI is best at — but I also wanted to see if Claude could take some actions for me. The biggest issue for my inbox is the deluge of press releases, which can reach several hundred per day, and which all need organizing ready for reviewing.

While many of them aren't useful or relevant, some of them are, and it's applying this kind of discernment that I'm cautious about AI (or any kind of assistant) being able to manage. However, Claude proved adept at spotting which emails were press releases, and which were from companies or people I knew well.

Even better, it could apply my 'PR' tag to all the relevant emails that didn't already have it, ready for me to sort later. If you want, you can confirm each action manually, or have Claude work through them as a batch. Claude was able to do this quickly and accurately for me, which genuinely saves me time.

It even did a decent job at picking out the more worthwhile press releases from the general pile, and summarizing what was new in them. This isn't something I think I'd give over to AI entirely, but it's a handy way of quickly seeing if there's anything I missed, or getting an overview when I'm pushed for time.

I also liked the way Claude could pick out all the services I'd subscribed to recently — an occupational hazard for a tech journalist — and remind me to close them. As far as I could tell it didn't miss too much, and what I've seen so far has encouraged me to explore what else Claude might be able to do in my inbox.

There were occasional missteps, like when Claude told me I needed to reply to a review request email when I'd already sent a response to it, but they were few and far between. The usual 'check AI's working' applies here too, but it gets enough right that it ends up in credit as an inbox assistant that's actually worth keeping around.

• Google unveils AI-enabled Workplace tools at I/O 2026
• Talk to your Gmail, Docs and Keep, with Gemini filling in the rest
• Upgraded AI Inbox for Gmail gives users more capabilitiy too

Google has unveiled a host of new AI tools and features for enterprise customers giving its Workspace productivity suite a welcome boost for users everywhere.

Although the bulk of the announcements at Google I/O 2026 focused on consumer-based tools and news, there was still enough to satisfy business users, including an upgraded AI Inbox to help down those elusive emails.

But there were also a number of upgrades for everyday Workspace tools such as Docs, with users now able to interact with their files like never before - using their voice.

Upgraded AI Inbox

Google first unveiled its 'AI Inbox' for Gmail in January 2026, bringing in Gemini to help manage bulging and unweildy email inboxes everywhere, offering tools such as being able to identify what messages or tasks need to be prioritized, based on data such as those people you email the most.

Now, users can utilize personalized draft replies, where the AI Inbox quickly generates a draft email for your review, helpful in situations where a speedy response is needed.

Users will also benefit from easier access to their files, with links to the right Docs, Sheets or Slides file instantly found and displayed next to your to-do list. Individual tasks can also be quickly marked as done with a single click, as can dismissing unhelpful suggestions or marking all emails in a given topic as read, speeding up your daily routine.

AI Inbox is currently available for Google AI Ultra subscribers, and is in preview to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers now.

Talk to me

If you're looking for a deeper connection to your files, Google Workspace has also introduced a selection of voice-activated features to help you get the information you need.

This includes Gmail Live, a new function which lets you search your inbox with your voice - helpful if you're at an airport and need to know which gate your flight is at - with the results displayed straight away.

On a similar level, Docs Live will let you dictate a stream of consciousness or brainstorm, and then take your rambling and turn it into a coherent draft.

Users just need to start talking, and Docs Live will kick in, pulling relevant details from your Gmail, Drive, Chat and the web, before creating a draft which you can further refine when you have a bit more time.

Keep will also get a simialr feature, allowing users to quickly make notes or observations by talking, and Google's note-taking app doing the rest - good for getting thoughts down after a meeting, or making a note of that next great idea when inspiration strikes.

All yhese new conversational features in Gmail, Docs and Keep are rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and in preview to Google Workspace business customers in summer 2026.

Gemini Spark

AI agents are becoming an increasingly common presence in our working lives, and Google revealed Gemini Spark at I/O 2026, marking its latest step forward in the agentic space.

Described as, "a 24/7 personal AI agent that helps you navigate your digital life", Gemini Spark reportedly marks "a big shift" for the AI platform, meaning that for the first time, instead of simply answering questions, it can now proactively take action on your behalf.

This could be anything from sending emails to creating a new calendar invite to building a to-do list for a project, hoping to help users save time and stress no matter where they are.

Gemini Spark in Google Workspace will be available soon in preview for business customers in the Gemini app.

• Google is changing its storage policy for new Gmail accounts
• New accounts in some regions will only get 5GB of free storage space
• Adding a phone number will unlock the standard 15GB of room

For many years, Google has given users 15GB of free cloud storage space when they sign up for Gmail (which is actually shared across Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive) — but a change to that policy is now being trialled.

Google has confirmed to Android Authority that it is "testing" a new approach in "select regions" where new users only get 5GB initially. That then goes up to the full 15GB once the account owner adds a phone number to their details.

This is only for new accounts, only in certain parts of the world, and only a test (for now) — if you've already got a Google account, nothing is going to happen to your 15GB of free storage for Gmail and Google's other services.

The move will "help us continue to provide a high quality storage service to our users, while encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery" says Google. It sounds as though Google wants to be better able to verify identities behind accounts, while also collecting more data on its users, of course.

Paying with your privacy

Gmail now gives 5gb free if you sign up without phone number from r/degoogle

Officially, Google doesn't require a phone number when you create a new account, though if you search the web you'll find it does sometimes insist on a number being registered. It's not clear why exactly, but the requirement may kick in if Google's systems suspect some kind of fraudulent or spam activity.

The new approach means adding a phone number isn't compulsory — but you'll only get a third of the free storage if you do. The change was originally reported by PiunikaWeb based on a Reddit thread from a user who hit the limitation.

Reactions on that thread are about as negative as you might expect: one commenter suggests Google has moved to "the 'bribery for your data' stage", while another says that "you're paying for your privacy" if you sign up with Gmail.

This comes against the backdrop of a wider age verification crackdown in tech, with an increasing number of apps and websites asking users to confirm they are who they say they are, ostensibly to boost user security and safely silo off adult content.

• Google is giving Gemini in Gmail access to your previous emails for tone and style personalization
• Topic contextualization connectors will also pull in relevant information from Workspace
• AI Overviews in Gmail make it easier for you to find old emails more quickly

Google has confirmed a new update to Gmail's Gemini-powered 'Help me write' feature which enables the AI to better match a user's personal writing style.

A new 'Tone and style personalization' feature will analyze a user's previous emails to mimic how they would normally write, while 'Topic contextualization' connects the Gmail tool to other Google Workspace apps to pull in relevant information with less friction.

With this update, the company hopes AI-generated drafts should feel less generic and require less editing before sending, ultimately reducing the amount of time it takes to send an email and freeing workers up to spend time on more meaningful, impactful tasks.

Gmail's AI writer just got even better

In a blog post announcing the news, the company said the update is designed to reduce app-switching and work with short prompts.

Some of the use cases cited by the company include responding to customer inquiries, sharing documents with colleagues and reporting to leadership.

Although the feature is mostly being marketed for workplace use cases, it's not just being made available across Google Workspace plans. As well as Business Starter/Standard/Plus and Enterprise Starter/Standard/Plus, it's also rolling out across Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra and the AI Pro add-on for Education.

More broadly, it's just another step in Google's ongoing process to make Gemini more of a personal assistant.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the company also announced new AI Overviews within the Gmail experience to make it easier for users to find information by asking natural language questions, rather than having to filter out emails by sender or date.

At the same time, those AI Overviews also expanded across Google Drive for easier information discovery across all content.

• Users in the US can now change their Google Account email addresses
• It comes after Google announced the change back in December 2025
• When you change, your old Gmail address will become an alternate email

Just three months after Google unveiled its plans to roll out the option to change your Gmail handle, the tech giant has set those plans in motion by rolling it out to Google Account owners in the US.

In January, we reported on an update to Google's English-language support page stating that the rollout would commence that week, though Google iterated that it would be very gradual. It rolled out in regions outside the US first, though it's not clear how widely available it is — I'm based in the UK, and the option to update my email address is still not available.

"Your digital identity just got an upgrade. You can now change your Google Account username (i.e., the part before @gmail.com), which you use to sign in to apps and services like Gmail, Photos, Drive and more," Google officially announced. "We started rolling this out last year to help your account grow with you", the company added.

If the option to change your Gmail address is available to you, there are a few things to be aware of before you update it. Firstly, your old Gmail handle will become an alternate address, but you'll still receive emails to both old and new addresses. If you're worried about losing data such as messages, emails, and photos, fear not, these won't be affected — but Google recommends backing up your data just in case.

When it comes to signing into new devices or Google's roster of services, you can use either your old or updated Gmail address, and you can change back to your previous email address at any time, according to Google. That said, you'll have to wait 12 months before you can change your Gmail address again, so make this one count.

How to update your Gmail address

Whether you're updating your Gmail address in a browser or on an Android device or iPhone/iPad, the process is pretty much the same. All you have to do is head to your computer or mobile browser and use the link myaccount.google.com/google-account-email.

From there, go to 'Personal info', then tap 'Email' and then 'Google Account email'. Under this, find 'Change Google Account email'. If this option isn't available to you, it might not be possible to change your Google Account email.

If you're able to make it past this step, Google suggests reviewing potential issues before updating your email address, which you can find on Google's support page. If none of the issues apply to you, you're free to change your Gmail handle.

When you enter a new username (given that it's not already being used by another Google Account), hit 'Change email' and then 'Yes, change email', and follow the steps after this. Once that's all complete, you're free to flaunt your brand new Gmail address and say goodbye to your old, slightly more embarrassing username.

In 1997, as the term “dotcom” came to describe a wave of internet start-ups, web portal king Yahoo! acquired a free web email service called RocketMail and launched Yahoo! Mail, a service to compete with Microsoft’s recently acquired Hotmail.

Seven years later, Google would launch Gmail with a gigabyte of free storage, a bold move at the time; Not to be outdone, Yahoo! responded by upping the free storage of its service to a terabyte.

Last year, though, without much explanation and just a few months of notice, Yahoo! changed the free storage limit of its mail service to 20 GB. Yahoo! had long offered Yahoo! Mail Plus.

This premium tier included some perks like ad removal and enabling the sending of email to your own address, which lifts a rare and onerous limitation (particularly since Yahoo! Mail includes a long-forgotten notebook feature for a similar purpose, albeit one not available through its mobile app).

However, that didn’t include any extra storage since the free service already offered more than many folks might need in a lifetime.

The new 20 GB limit is still relatively generous compared to the 15 GB of a new Google account shared across Gmail, Drive, Google Photos and other services. However, it’s only two percent of the previous allotment.

Users over the 20 GB quota must delete enough email to comply or pay Yahoo! - $2/month for 100 GB or $10/month to get the terabyte back. And the Plus offering now includes 200 GB of storage in addition to the other benefits for $5/month. Fail to either slim down or pay up results and you can’t send or receive any new emails.

As someone who had been using Yahoo! Mail since its early days as a secondary address for, for example, list subscriptions, I had accumulated just under 100 GB of email when I was first notified of the new limit.

But the volume and size of emails had increased greatly year to year, especially after HTML emails with rich graphics became standard. And while Yahoo!’s storage rates align with, say Google’s or Microsoft’s, those companies offer a richer range of online services across which to use that cloud storage for your subscription price

Mail pattern boldness

I could have just downloaded the entire mailbox to a local mail client, deleting them from the server. But in addition to encountering challenges using Yahoo!’s IMAP server, I would have detracted from the location independence that’s one of the benefits of webmail.

Yahoo! Mail offers filters to search for and delete emails. However, they can’t, for example, search for attachments over a certain size, and sometimes the interface limits you to deleting one screen of emails at a time, which is impractical for deleting tens of thousands of emails.

After all, for 20 years, Yahoo! Mail users were given a license to shovel everything into their account without a second thought. Now, it was full steam ahead in the other direction for an ill-equipped ship. Sometimes, I would find that deleted email simply wasn’t deleted, possibly just due to a delay in processing.

My escape route came in the form of a Windows and web app. First, to create an archive of the entire account, I used MailStore Home, a free version of an email archiving tool for Windows from OpenText, which also offers a server version for businesses and another flavor for service providers.

It can download tens of gigabytes of web email messages and save them as an Outlook .PST file or other mbox file. For Mac users, MacSonik Yahoo Mail Backup Tool ($49/year for the least expensive service tier) offers similar functionality.

Next, I used Clean Email to analyze the mailbox and filter older messages and those with large attachments. Keeping just the last three years’ worth of emails got me under the 20 GB mark, but I was ultimately able to get the mix of access and headroom I wanted at under 11 GB.

Clean Email offers a useful free tier for getting started. Upgrading within the website presents only its annual subscription plans, which start at about $30 per year. However it offers monthly pricing starting at $10 per month on its plans page. You can also sign up for plans that cover multiple email accounts and access the service via mobile app.

A clean break

Clean Email costs a bit more per year than just paying Yahoo! for the expanded storage, but the storage fee would likely repeat indefinitely whereas I will likely cancel Clean Email once I’ve sorted things out.

That said, the service includes worthwhile and well-implemented filtering, filing, forwarding, and automatic unsubscribing tools that tempt a longer subscription.

It’s worth noting that Yahoo! puts up a small barrier to using these tools by requiring you to register a one-time password for them to access your account. The process is counterintuitive and requires a trip to the account settings.

Other restrictions may be coming; The Clean Email website notes that Yahoo! has implemented new restrictions limiting access to 100,000 emails at a time for Yahoo! or AOL email (which is now just another brand of Yahoo! Mail (one you can use to send emails to “yourself” for free).

The world - particularly Yahoo!’s world - has changed a lot since Yahoo! Mail helped extend email access to millions of users, and Yahoo! is free to bring its mail storage pricing in line with competitors.

But doing so without reasonably convenient ways to comply with the quota makes the decision to upgrade at the threat of a cut-off feel less like an upsell and more like a shakedown.

For more top picks, we've reviewed the best email providers and the best email clients.

• Gmail spam filtering experienced a glitch on January 24, flooding inboxes with emails and spam warnings
• Users were experiencing misclassified emails, additional spam warnings and delays
• The issue has been fixed, but we still don't know what caused it

Google engineers had a busy weekend as they sought to fix an issue with how Gmail messages were being filtered and classified after inboxes went haywire on Saturday January 24.

Users reported receiving Primary, Social and Updates emails in their Primary inboxes with some spam messages even appearing as legitimate emails.

Many even reported delays in receiving some emails, which caused issues with email-based two-factor authentication (2FA) codes.

Gmail spam filtering issue is now fixed, Google confirms

"Gmail users might see banners indicating missing spam checks," a Google Workspace status update read.

The company identified that the issue started at 5:02am PT.

"Some Gmail users experienced a misclassification of emails in their inbox, additional spam warnings, and delays in receiving email," a separate update in the same thread detailed.

"We advise the users to be extra diligent in lieu of missing spam checks," the company was warning users at the peak of the incident.

The Gmail issue correlates with a spike in Gmail-related complaints on Downdetector, with one user summarizing their experience clearly: "Sudden influx of promo emails hitting my primary. All labeled as potential Spam."

Although the issue was marked as fixed with effect from 9:55pm PT, Google still hasn't confirmed the technical root cause, instead promising to deliver an incident analysis after the completion of its investigation.

Although the undisclosed cause looks to have been rectified, Google is still warning users that they may continue to receive misclassified emails, delays and erroneous spam warnings for a short while.

Google's advice concluded that its spam filtering tool should only be considered an aid. "we encourage users to follow standard best practices when engaging with messages from unknown senders," a company spokesperson said to Engadget.

On a similar note, Google pulled Gmailify from its offerings earlier this month, removing the ability for third-party inboxes like Outlook to get Gmail's spam filtering tools outside of the native Gmail experience.

• A variety of Gmail bugs have been acknowledged by Google
• They cover automatic filtering, spam, and delivery delays
• The Gmail app should now be getting back to normal for users

You may well have noticed issues with the automatic filters and spam scanning in your Gmail inbox over the weekend: these are issues that Google has officially acknowledged, and a fix should now be making its way out to users.

As per the Google Workspace Status Dashboard (via Engadget), numerous issues affected users of Google's email app across the course of Saturday. These issues included "misclassification of emails" via Gmail's built-in automatic filtering.

That filtering should put less important emails (such as promotions and social media updates) into separate tabs away from your main inbox. It's been in place for years, and is a clever feature – when it works – that you can also tweak manually by dragging emails between different tabs.

With these "misclassification" problems, you may well have seen your Primary inbox tab somewhat overrun with special deals, newsletters, and updates from sites you're signed up to, rather than emails from actual people.

Spam and delays

Broken automatic filtering hasn't been the only issue that Gmail users have been struggling with. Google reports that "misclassified spam warnings" were cropping up, indicating that emails hadn't been checked for spam content.

You may have seen a "Gmail hasn't scanned this message for spam, unverified senders, or harmful software" message on some emails – though it's not clear whether the scans were actually failing, or the warning message was showing up when it shouldn't have been. On top of that, "delays in receiving email" have been reported by users and by Google.

There is some good news: the issue was marked as "resolved" by Sunday morning, though there seem to be some discrepancies in Google's own recorded logs of events as to how long the problems persisted for and when the fix finally rolled out.

Your Gmail inbox should now be back to normal, though Google notes that some warnings "may persist" for emails sent before the problem was resolved. There's also the promise of an analysis of what went wrong, once an internal investigation has been completed.

• Google seems to be going ahead with its new tool that allows users to change their Gmail address
• Users' old Gmail addresses will become an alternate email, and you'll receive emails to both handles
• The company has reiterated that this is part of a gradual rollout, so it may not appear for all users just yet

Do you have an embarrassing Gmail address you made years ago and want it gone? Join the club. Well, I bring good news – it seems as though Google is officially rolling out a way for you to update your email address to something more respectable.

Back in December, we spotted an update in Google’s Hindi support page that hinted at a new tool which would allow users to change their primary email address, and now we’re even closer to a wider rollout. Until now, it was impossible to change your Gmail address without deleting your account and making a new one, so this new tool will remove that tedious complication.

The updated version of Gmail’s English-language support page reveals that the option to change your Gmail handle is rolling out this week, sharing ‘if your Google Account email ends in gmail.com, you may be able to change it to another address that ends in @gmail.com’. However, Google does reiterate that ‘the ability to change your Google Account email is gradually rolling out to all users and this option may not be available to you yet’.

When it comes to changing your Gmail address, the process is pretty easy to follow. When you go to your account on mobile or desktop, head to ‘Personal info’ and select the ‘Email’ card. From there, you can select ‘Change your Google Account email address’ under ‘Google Account email’ and you’ll be prompted to enter your new email address. Your handle should change when you tap ‘Change email address’ and confirm – but what happens after that?

Once you’ve updated your Gmail address, Google says that your old handle will become an alternate email, and you’ll receive emails to both addresses. If you decide to revert back to your old Gmail address, you can do this at any time, however you won’t be able to create a new Google Account email ending in gmail.com for the next 12 months, nor delete your new email address.

Google goes on to state that data saved in your account such as photos, messages and emails sent to your previous email address won’t be affected, but recommends that you backup your data just to be safe. Since this tool is part of a gradual rollout, Google has acknowledged that there may be a few hiccups along the way, especially with signing into third party apps using your Google account, but lays out recommended solutions in its help page.

So, soon I will be able to finally shake off my old address for something new. But what about you – will you be kicking off 2026 with a brand new Gmail handle?

Google has revealed it is adding a host of new AI tools and features to Gmail as it looks to offer users a smarter and more efficient way to stay in touch.

The company has unveiled a number of updates for its email service which it says will help Gmail "enter the Gemini era".

Among the new updates are AI Overviews for your inbox, improved writing and proofing assistance, and a new AI Inbox to flag the most important messages for your attention.

More AI in Gmail

In a blog post announcing the new additions, Google noted that the nature of email itself has changed significantly since Gmail was launched in 2004.

Managing inboxes has become something of a full-time job for many of us, and Google hopes AI will help provide the solution.

In particular, the new AI Inbox for Gmail looks to help cut out the clutter of crowded inboxes, effectively acting like a daily briefing for users.

Currently in testing before a wider roll out later this year, the tool can identify what messages or tasks need to be prioritized, based on data such as those people you email the most, meaning the important emails get flagged and addressed first.

Previously seen (not always positively) in Google Search, AI Overviews are now coming to Gmail. Working in an almost-identical fashion, the feature will be able to quick find and condense information from a range of sources (in this case, your emails) into a brief and (hopefully useful) summary.

Users can also ask Gmail a question in natural language, (such as “Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?”) with Gemini trawling through your messages and pulling out an answer.

AI Overview conversation summaries will be available now, however the ability to ask your inbox questions with AI Overviews is only open to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers for now.

Finally, Gmail's "Help Me Write" tool is being expanded and upgraded to help users create better and smarter emails.

The service now includes new Suggested Replies, an update to the previous Smart Replies feature, which scans the context of your conversations to provide quick and relevant options. These will be written in your own style and tone of voice, with users provided with a draft to refine before approving.

In addition, a new Proofread feature offers improved grammar and syntax checking, as well as the ability to spot errors in tone and style, making sure your message is as polished as it can be.

Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are rolling out now for free to all users, with the Proofread feature currently only available for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

• POP3 phased out – use IMAP to link other accounts to your Gmail mobile app
• Gmailify also axed, pulling Gmail features like spam protection from third-party email providers
• Businesses can migrate easily with Workspace, consumers will have a harder time changing providers

Google will no longer fetch emails from third-party accounts into your Gmail account via POP3 beginning January 2026, which means your account might no longer serve as an appropriate home for all things email.

The support article also details the end of Gmailify from January 2026, which means previously eligible third-party accounts will no longer get access to some of Gmail's best features, like spam protection.

Although Google has not publicly confirmed the reason behind its decision, removing POP3 is probably a security move given that the protocol shares passwords in plaintext.

Gmail is ending POP3 and Gmailify for third-party accounts

Google's support page explains that affected users with third-party accounts will no longer be able to access the mail provider's class-leading spam protection, enhanced mobile notifications, inbox categories, or advanced search options.

It doesn't mean it's the end of third-party emails within the Gmail app – users can still access them via IMAP, but with the above limitations in place. Checking emails from other accounts in Gmail on the web will also no longer be possible.

Clearly, the tech giant wants consumers to migrate to Gmail for access to its full list of features, however those who prefer not to can still set up email forwarding from their third-party account to their Gmail address if they need access from all mobile and desktop instances of Gmail.

Separately, Gmailify was launched in 2016 to bring Gmail's features to Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail/Outlook.com. It was positioned as an option for those who weren't ready to migrate from their preferred or previous account.

The security-focused changes will likely affect consumers more. Business users can use Google's data migration service (part of their Workspace accounts) to move from another provider.

• The option to switch to another @gmail.com is rolling out
• It appears to be limited by region right now
• You'll still be able to hang on to your existing email address

For as long as Gmail has been around – now more than 20 years – the primary email address that you grab when you first open the account has been the one you've had to stick with. Now, it looks as though that's changing.

As spotted by the Google Pixel Hub group on Telegram (via 9to5Google), there's been a change to the relevant support page in the official help documentation for Google Accounts, saying that it is possible to set a new @gmail.com email address.

There are some caveats here though: first, the updated help instructions are only showing up in Hindi at the moment. Second, the page says the new feature is "gradually rolling out to all users, so this option may not be available to you right now".

With both of those caveats in mind, and no other official comment yet, it seems Google might not currently be fully committed to this move. However, it does appear that there's a strong chance you'll soon be able to get yourself a new Gmail address without having to set up an entirely new Google account at the same time.

The small print

As per the support document, if you change one @gmail.com address for another, the old email address will remain as an alias. You'll still be able to send and receive emails from the old address, and you'll still be able to sign into related apps and sites (such as Google Maps or YouTube) with your old or new address.

You can even switch back to having your old address as the primary one for your account, if you want. However, once a new @gmail.com address is set as the main address, you won't be able to attach another new one for 12 months.

The primary @gmail.com for each Google account can be changed for a total of three times overall – that would leave you with four @gmail.com addresses and aliases in total – so it's worth putting some time and thought into any new addresses you set.

If you do set a new email address, the old one can't be used by anyone else, and will still appear in some places (like old Google Calendar events). Your email address can be changed via your Google Account page – but it's not showing up for me yet.

• Google has pushed back against a viral report about its AI training
• The report said your Gmails were being used to train the Gemini AI model
• Google says that’s 'misleading' and explains what 'Smart Features' are

Privacy and artificial intelligence are both a big deal right now, so it wasn't a surprise to see recent claims that Google is using your Gmail to train its Gemini AI model go viral. Fortunately, those claims were incorrect, as Google has now dismissed them as "misleading" and explained what's really happening.

According to the original (and now corrected) article from security firm Malwarebytes, you could keep your data out of Gemini’s hands by disabling Gmail’s Smart Features. However, Google has now pushed back, stating that it doesn't use “Gmail content” to train Gemini.

Google’s response came as part of a statement given to The Verge, where company spokesperson Jenny Thomson said: “These reports are misleading – we have not changed anyone’s settings, Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.”

Shortly after this statement was made, Malwarebytes corrected its original article. The updated piece noted that while the Gmail settings in question weren’t actually new, “the way Google recently rewrote and surfaced them led a lot of people (including us) to believe Gmail content might be used to train Google’s AI models, and that users were being opted in automatically.”

So what are Smart Features?

The official explanation of Google's Smart Features in Gmail, Chat and Meet is that they "use your content and activity in these products to personalize your experience in those apps".

What does that mean? Some specific examples include automatic email filtering, smart compose (those text suggestions you get in email) and summary cards above emails (which give you a quick synopsis of order tracking, events and more). All potentially useful then, but not the same thing as training Google Gemini.

You can check to see if Smart Features are turned on in Gmail by going to Settings > General and scrolling down to 'Smart features'. Here you'll see a check box for turning the setting on or off. Google says this should be turned off by default, though some users have anecdotally claimed otherwise.

We've checked with Google to confirm that Smart Features are still opt-in for both Workspace and standard Gmail, and will update this article if we hear back.

Where did the confusion come from?

Malwarebytes clarified that after examining Google’s documentation more closely, it doesn’t appear that Google is using your email content to train its AI. While Google scans your emails to enable its Smart Features – which include spam filters, email categorization, writing suggestions and more – it does not do this to help train Gemini.

So, where did the confusion stem from? Malwarebytes claimed that “Google’s updated language around “smart features” is vague, and the term “smart” often implies AI – especially at a time when Gemini is being integrated into other parts of Google’s products. When the new wording started appearing for some users without much explanation, many assumed it signaled a broader shift", it said.

As well as that, this whole furore has happened around the same time as a proposed class-action lawsuit in California, which “alleges that Google gave Gemini AI access to Gmail, Chat, and Meet without proper user consent,” according to Malwarebytes.

If you were worried that Google was taking your private emails and feeding them into an oblique AI algorithm, that doesn’t appear to be the case. That said, Google hasn't always had the best reputation for user privacy, with numerous controversies erupting in the last few years. If you want a truly private email experience, there are plenty of good alternatives.

ChatGPT is wrong a lot of the time, but the reason why millions of us use it is because, when it gets things right, there isn't really anything else quite like it.

I had that experience recently when wrestling with a seemingly simple Gmail problem. In short, my inbox was out of control, well into six figures for unread messages – and the mere presence of that number was a daily reminder of my poor housekeeping.

None of those unread emails were particularly important. I'd been labeling and replying to key ones, and using filters to surface the must-reads. But I'd let the weeds completely overwhelm the Gmail flower bed, and it was high-time I got the trowel out.

No problem, I thought, I'll just take the nuclear option and do a giant 'select all' and 'mark all as read' to give me a clean slate. Except doing that, in many variations, didn't work. Gmail, it seems, has a secret internal limit for bulk operations, and I was way over that figure.

Even doing it in batches using Gmail's search operators wasn't working. My ridiculous inbox had seemingly broken Gmail's brain, and Google was unable to help.

Fortunately, this is where a tool that I now treat like an eccentric uncle (incredibly smart in some ways, worryingly mistaken in others) came to the rescue...

Going off script

I've found ChatGPT to be most helpful when it's taken my poorly-worded prompt and come up with a solution that would have never crossed my mind in a million years. Usually, this involves coding.

For my Gmail problem, it suggested using Google Apps Script. This platform is something I'd never heard of (partly because it's a Google Workspace thing), but it's apparently a bit of an unsung hero for automating simple tasks, particularly in apps like Docs, Sheets and Gmail.

People use Gmail Apps Script, I've since learned, to automate all sorts of things, from business admin to sweepstake spreadsheets for friends. But it was also the trick I needed to get around Gmail's stubborn limits for bulk operations.

After the usual back-and-forth with ChatGPT, it refined a small script that searched my Gmail inbox in chunks of 500 unread threads and marked them as 'read', until I hit the 'inbox zero' nirvana I'd assumed it would be much simpler to reach.

The process was as simple as going to Google Apps Script, clicking 'New Project', pasting in the script (which ChatGPT assured me was "fully balanced and tested"), clicking the 'Save' icon, then hitting the 'Run' button. The script began whirring away in the background and I watched my inbox slowly tick down to zero.

How do you use ChatGPT?

ChatGPT doesn't get its wisdom from nowhere and I've no doubt that its Gmail solution (maybe large parts of the script itself) were 'inspired' by threads from the likes of Stack Overflow and Google Support.

The thing is, Googling didn't surface any of them and I was left running around in circles before ChatGPT intervened. The other big strength of chatbots (again, when they get things right) is that they're able to tailor solutions and code to your exact situation.

That doesn't mean you don't have to double-check everything they say, and I did have a small amount of trepidation in running a script I didn't fully understand on my Gmail account. But after scanning the very basic code for anything troublesome, I was happy to give it a spin – and I'm glad I did.

For me, this slightly dry but useful exercise summed up how I currently use chatbots like ChatGPT, and it seems I'm in the majority. A recent study highlighted by Search Engine Land suggests that a massive 95% of ChatGPT users still use Google – in other words, the chatbot is a supplement to Google rather than a replacement.

ChatGPT is, as I mentioned earlier, that eccentric, sometimes genius uncle I go to with thorny problems that I just can't solve using pre-chatbot techniques. And while I certainly don't trust his recall of news events (a recent BBC study found that 45% of AI chatbot answers around news had a "significant issue"), I'll always come back to him for those flashes of inspiration.

If you're in a similar Gmail inbox conundrum to me and want to try a (possibly over-engineered) solution to reach inbox zero, here's the Google Apps Script code that worked for me (thanks, ChatGPT). My only challenge now is staying there.

function markAllAsReadSafe() {  var searchBatchSize = 500; // how many threads to request from Gmail at once  var apiMax = 100;          // GmailApp.markThreadsRead accepts at most 100 threads per call  var totalMarked = 0;  do {    // get up to searchBatchSize unread threads (newest first)    var threads = GmailApp.search('is:unread', 0, searchBatchSize);    if (threads.length == 0) break;    // process in sub-batches of apiMax    for (var i = 0; i < threads.length; i += apiMax) {      var slice = threads.slice(i, i + apiMax);      try {        GmailApp.markThreadsRead(slice);        totalMarked += slice.length;      } catch (e) {        Logger.log('Error marking threads read for slice starting at ' + i + ': ' + e);        // pause briefly and continue        Utilities.sleep(2000);      }      // small pause to reduce chance of throttling      Utilities.sleep(500);    }    Logger.log('Marked ' + totalMarked + ' threads so far.');    // loop continues if Gmail returned a full batch (means there are probably more)  } while (threads.length === searchBatchSize);  Logger.log('Finished. Total threads marked read: ' + totalMarked);}

• Gmail says it has not suffered a massive data breach, despite claims
• Reported 183 million passwords figure is primarily compiled from previously compromised credentials
• Users may still have been breached and be at risk though - so stay on your guard

Google has issued a statement following multiple claims Gmail had suffered a security breach impacting millions of users.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the company denied the claims, and declared Gmail’s ‘defenses are strong, and users remain protected’.

"The inaccurate reports are stemming from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which routinely compile various credential theft activity occurring across the web. It’s not reflective of a new attack aimed at any one person, tool, or platform."

91% old news

The post followed multiple news outlets reporting the huge 183 million figure impacted in the incident after Gmail users appeared on the breach notification website HaveIBeenPwned (HIBP).

However the breach was not verified, and the information appears to be a compilation of previous breaches, likely obtained through info-stealing malware, phishing, and credential stuffing attacks.

Troy Hunt, creator of HIBP, confirmed 91% of the 183 million credentials had previously been seen - which suggests this ‘breach’ contains very little new information, and is therefore unlikely to be tied to any specific incident.

That being said, Hunt did acknowledge there were also 16.4 million previously unseen credentials - those which had never been released in any data breaches - possibly leaving a significant number of users exposed.

The advice is always the same - if you think you may have been impacted (or even if you just want to be cautious) then keep a close eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity, specifically your bank statements.

It may not seem like a big deal that a cybercriminals knows your email address, name, or date of birth - but this information can be used to take out loans or credit cards in your name, so make sure you use identity theft protection software if you think you have been affected.

• Gmail can now send E2EE emails to non-Gmail users, but it’s not quite as simple
• Only Workspace Enterprise Plus customers can use the feature
• It’s still far more accessible than S/MIME

Google is strengthening email security by offering client-side encryption to Gmail users, even if they’re sending to recipients with other email providers.

It means Gmail senders will be able to end-to-end encrypt (E2EE) emails across providers, for example, if sending from Gmail to Outlook, ensuring no unwarranted access is granted to the content of their message.

However, there’s a key difference in how recipients can open their emails, and it won’t be quite as smooth as content landing straight in their inbox.

Gmail users can send encrypted emails to all

Gmail-to-Gmail E2EE emails show in the regular email because Google can take care of the infrastructure for both the sender and recipient, but because Google has no control over recipients’ infrastructure on other providers, they’ll be directed to a guest Gmail account to open the mail.

Still, it ensures business users can communicate securely without the hassle of exchanging keys or downloading specialized software.

“This capability, requiring minimal efforts for both IT teams and end users, abstracts away the traditional IT complexity and substandard user experiences of existing solutions, while preserving enhanced data sovereignty, privacy, and security controls,” Google said.

From launch, it will be available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers with the Assured Controls add-on. Rollout has already started, but it could take until mid-October for all users to see the changes.

In a separate blog post earlier in 2025, Google Workspace Senior Product Manager Johney Burke and Product Manager Julien Duplant criticized today’s S/MIME protocol for being hard to work with, hence the effort to simplify cross-provider email encryption.

But Google isn’t the only company working on simplifying encryption. Proton also offers full E2EE for its own users as well as password-protected links for third parties to view encrypted mail.

You might also like

• We’ve listed the best secure email providers
• Keep your web traffic secure with the best anonymous browsing
• Gmail's latest update could finally declutter your inbox - and get rid of all those old subscriptions you never use

• Cloudflare confirms losing sensitive customer data from its account
• The attackers moved in after compromising Salesloft's Drift platform
• Cloudflare's infrastructure remains intact

Cloudflare has become the latest tech giant to be added to the growing list of companies compromised through the Salesloft Drift breach.

The content delivery network firm has confirmed the breach, saying it rotated potentially exposed secrets, and notified customers whose data might have been compromised, in response.

104 tokens

In Cloudflare’s case, most of the information stored in the affected account is customer contact information and “basic support case data”, but the company is still warning about hackers potentially using this information in attacks.

“Some customer support interactions may reveal information about a customer's configuration and could contain sensitive information like access tokens," it said in a statement.

"Given that Salesforce support case data contains the contents of support tickets with Cloudflare, any information that a customer may have shared with Cloudflare in our support system—including logs, tokens or passwords—should be considered compromised, and we strongly urge you to rotate any credentials that you may have shared with us through this channel.”

When Cloudflare analyzed the incident from its side, it found 104 Cloudflare API tokens. While it would appear that no one managed to abuse them in the meantime, the company still rotated them, to be on the safe side.

“No Cloudflare services or infrastructure were compromised as a result of this breach,” it confirmed.

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Zscaler says it suffered data breach following Salesloft Drift compromise
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• Zscaler confirms losing sensitive customer data from its account
• The attackers moved in after compromising Salesloft's Drift platform
• Some believe this was done by ShinyHunters

We can now add Zscaler to the growing list of Salesloft customers who suffered a third-party cyberattack and lost sensitive customer information after it confirmed data was taken.

In the announcement, Zscaler explained it was a customer of Salesloft, whose AI chat platform, Salesloft Drift, was compromised.

Since this platform connects with Salesforce, the miscreants managed to move laterally, stealing OAuth and refresh tokens, and accessing data from customers such as Zscaler.

ShinyHunters or UNC6395?

The company stressed its systems and products were not compromised, just the data:

“The scope of the incident is confined to Salesforce and does not involve access to any of Zscaler's products, services or underlying systems and infrastructure,” it said.

Still, the attackers managed to steal names, business email addresses, job titles, phone numbers, regional and location details, Zscaler product licensing and commercial information, as well as content from certain support cases.

The company said that so far, there is no evidence of the data being abused in the wild, but it still asked its users to remain vigilant and wary of incoming phishing and social engineering attacks. Zscaler also said it revoked all Salesloft Drift integrations, rotated API tokens, and kicked off an in-depth investigation.

So far, attribution of the attack was rather challenging. Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) believes it to be the work of a threat actor it tracks as UNC6395.

ShinyHunters, a known ransomware operator and data thief, also assumed responsibility, a claim confirmed to the media by multiple security researchers.

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Google warns Salesloft Drift attack may have compromised Workspace accounts and Salesforce instances
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• Google has addressed recent claims of a major vulnerability in Gmail
• The company denies any such claims, says they are “entirely false”
• Certain Google Workspace accounts were compromised in recent SalesDrift attacks

Recent reports of a major security issue affecting Gmail are “entirely false”, Google has said.

In a blog post, the company said it wanted to reassure its users that Gmail’s protections are “strong and effective.”

“Several inaccurate claims surfaced recently that incorrectly stated that we issued a broad warning to all Gmail users about a major Gmail security issue. This is entirely false,” the announcement reads.

Workspace compromise

While Google did not explicitly mention which claims it was addressing, some of its services had been linked to the recent Salesloft Drift attack.

Revenue workflow platform Salesloft recently suffered a cyberattack which saw threat actors break in through a third-party and steal sensitive information.

The company is using Drift, a conversational marketing and sales platform that uses live chat, chatbots, and AI, to engage visitors in real time, alongside its own SalesDrift, a third-party platform which links Drift’s AI chat functionality to Salesforce, syncing conversations, leads, and cases, into the CRM via the Salesloft ecosystem.

Starting around August 8, and lasting for about ten days, adversaries managed to steal OAuth and refresh tokens from SalesDrift, pivoting to customer environments, and successfully exfiltrating sensitive data.

Google later warned that certain Workspace accounts, as well as Salesforce instances, may have been compromised during the attack, as well. This led to some reports misinterpreting it to be Gmail being compromised, which, as Google now confirmed, is not the case.

“While it’s always the case that phishers are looking for ways to infiltrate inboxes, our protections continue to block more than 99.9% of phishing and malware attempts from reaching users,” Google added.

“Security is such an important item for all companies, all customers, all users — we take this work incredibly seriously. Our teams invest heavily, innovate constantly, and communicate clearly about the risks and protections we have in place. It’s crucial that conversation in this space is accurate and factual.”

You might also like

• Google warns Salesloft Drift attack may have compromised Workspace accounts and Salesforce instances
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• The US FTC Chairman has written directly to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai
• Andrew Ferguson accuses Gmail of having “partisan” spam filters
• Google said filters “apply equally… regardless of political ideology”

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has accused Google of “partisan” Gmail spam filtering which discriminates against certain political parties.

In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dated August 28, 2025, Ferguson claimed Republican fundraising emails are being flagged as spam, while Democratic emails continue to be delivered successfully.

Ferguson warned this could violate the FTC Act’s prohibition of unfair or deceptive trade practices, suggesting that an investigation and possible enforcement could be on the cards.

Gmail once again targeted over political email spam filtering

“My understanding from recent reporting is that Gmail’s spam filters routinely block messages from reaching consumers when those messages come from Republican senders but fail to block similar messages sent by Democrats,” Ferguson summarizes.

The complaint cites a New York Post article, which revealed that identical emails with WinRed (Republican) and ActBlue (Democratic) donation links were treated differently by Gmail.

Google has already responded to these allegations previously, with company spokesperson José Castañeda said: “Email filter protections are in place to keep our users safe.”

The filters “apply equally to all senders, regardless of political ideology.”

“A consumer’s right to hear from candidates or parties, including solicitations for donations, is not diminished because that consumer’s political preferences may run counter to your company’s or your employees’ political preferences,” Ferguson wrote.

This isn’t the first time that Google has been accused of political bias in its Gmail spam filtering. In 2022, an RNC lawsuit claimed the company had unfairly filtered Republican emails, but the US District Court dismissed the case on the basis of a lack of evidence. RNC has since revived the case.

TechRadar Pro has asked Google for an updated commented in response to the FTC’s August 2025 letter – any response will be posted here.

You might also like

• We’ve listed the best email providers around today
• Google hits back at claims Gmail inbox filters are biased
• Need to reach broader audiences? Try the best email marketing services

• New phishing campaign found targeting Google Classroom users
• CheckPoint has detected and blocked the sites
• Hackers often use legitimate services to disguise their attacks

New research by Check Point has revealed a large-scale social engineering campaign which sees hackers using Google Classroom to victimize students and educators across the world.

A range of industries and companies were targeted in five coordinated waves of attack containing over 115,000 phishing emails aimed at 13,500 organizations, with fake invitations sent promoting ‘commercial offers’ such as SEO services or product pitches.

The attack often goes undetected by security software because it piggybacks on Google Classroom’s legitimate infrastructure, bypassing traditional defenses, the experts warned.

Phishing protections

To protect against attacks such as these, CheckPoint reaffirms the need for robust training for employees and members of your organization - and warns users to be very cautious of unexpected invitations or communications.

“This incident underscores the importance of multi-layered defenses,” CheckPoint’s statement confirms. “Attackers are increasingly weaponizing legitimate cloud services—making traditional email gateways insufficient to stop evolving phishing tactics."

The research also recommends using AI-powered detection to analyze content, to extend social engineering protections beyond just messaging and SaaS services, and to continuously monitor cloud applications.

Criminals often utilize legitimate platforms and services to distribute social engineering attacks or malware because it can help to evade detections. Earlier in 2025, hackers were observed bypassing security tools by mimicking legitimate login pages and stealing Microsoft credentials.

Microsoft’s Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) connects an organization’s internal systems to Microsoft services. In this campaign, malvertising was used to distribute the phishing attack - and since the attack didn’t rely on email, traditional email security filters weren’t effective.

Although social engineering attacks can be potent and convincing, they do primarily rely on human error to be effective - which means that being wary and ensuring all members of your organization are sufficiently trained and tested in spotting attacks is the most effective defense.

You might also like

• Take a look at our picks for the best malware removal software around
• Check out our choice for best antivirus software
• Google warns Salesloft attack may have compromised Workspace accounts and Salesforce instances

• Gmail users could be affected in the ShinyHunters attack campaign
• Google has warned users to be on guard
• This campaign has targeted a large number of companies

A warning from Google’s Threat Intelligence Report has outlined a prolific hacking group is targeting Gmail to attack users.

Users were urged to be on their guard after the contact information of small and medium sized businesses was accessed.

Google has since notified those affected by the incident via email - but those whose data was compromised should be on the lookout for social engineering and extortion attacks. These incidents typically involve an email or call to employees of victim organizations demanding large sums of bitcoin.

Phishing risk

ShinyHunters is an extremely successful threat group, recently attacking Santander, AT&T, and insurance giant Allianz. But, Google doesn’t think they’re done yet;

“We believe threat actors using the 'ShinyHunters' brand may be preparing to escalate their extortion tactics by launching a data leak site (DLS)” the report confirms.

“These new tactics are likely intended to increase pressure on victims, including those associated with the recent UNC6040 Salesforce-related data breaches. We continue to monitor this actor and will provide updates as appropriate.”

You might also like

• Take a look at our picks for the best malware removal software around
• Check out our choice for best antivirus software
• Google warns Salesloft attack may have compromised Workspace accounts and Salesforce instances

• OpenAI adds Connectors for Gmail and Calendars
• You can now access Gmail in chat and in Deep Research
• The feature is new for Plus and Pro users

OpenAI has finally flicked the switch, and now ChatGPT Plus and Pro users globally can connect Gmail and Google Calendar to ChatGPT. This is a feature that Gemini has had for some time, so it’s great to finally get it in ChatGPT.

Since I use Gmail for just about everything, I’ve been waiting for OpenAI to hook into it for ages, and now that it’s here, I can search emails from within ChatGPT, not to mention ask it to perform some handy analysis.

For example, a few useful things to ask ChatGPT, once you’ve connected it to Gmail, are “Who emails me the most?” and “Who haven’t I replied to?” or “What recent emails require action?”

Or, if you really can’t be bothered to open Gmail and you live in ChatGPT all day, you could ask it, “Who has emailed me today?”

Of course, you can do the same thing with your Calendar app. Just ask ChatGPT, “What meetings have I got today?”. This works especially well when combined with ChatGPT Voice. When you activate ChatGPT Voice, you can just start a conversation and ask ChatGPT what meetings you have today, and it will tell you.

What’s more, you can also use your Gmail inbox and your Calendar as a source for a Deep Research query. So, if you want to do some serious analysis of your inbox, you can now direct ChatGPT’s most in-depth research tool straight at it.

Getting set up

Accessing these key Google services in ChatGPT requires a bit of setting up first. You need to go to Settings (which is accessed by clicking or tapping on your user name), then choosing Settings, and then Connectors.

Here you’ll be able to link your Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, and Contacts to ChatGPT. You’ll need to grant ChatGPT access in a few screens as you do this, but you only need to do it once.

Now that you are connected, you can just type in questions about your Gmail inbox or Calendar to ChatGPT.

Going deeper

If you want to use ChatGPT with Deep Research, then the process seems to differ between the Web version of ChatGPT and the mobile version.

In the Web version of ChatGPT, when you click on Deep Research, a Sources box appears next to it, and here you can select Gmail or Google Calendar from the drop-down menu.

On the mobile version of ChatGPT, when you tap on Deep Research, you don’t get a Sources box; however, it can still connect to your Gmail. Just ask it a question involving Gmail and you'll find that it can answer it.

Now that Gmail and Calendar are connected to ChatGPT, I can finally get it to perform more like the all-around personal assistant I want it to be.

You might also like

• ChatGPT Go explained – 5 things you need to know about the new cheap subscription plan
• No escape from AI now - Microsoft is shoving Copilot into every Excel cell
• I compared ChatGPT-5 Pro with ChatGPT-5 – and there's no doubt about the winner

• Google tests shoppable Gmail ads that expand into product-rich experiences
• New format blends Promotions tab with eCommerce shopping carousel interface
• Gmail may become a new performance channel for ecommerce-driven marketers

Google has long dominated the digital ad market by placing ads across its vast ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, and millions of partner sites and apps.

The tech giant’s strength in the market lies in combining intent signals with massive reach, giving brands a range of tools to promote products and services.

A report from Search Engine Land has now claimed Google is now testing a new ad format that brings shopping features straight into Gmail.

Invading the Promotions tab

This update focuses on the Promotions tab, where a new visually rich ad unit will display featured products and include brand names and images.

Once clicked, these ads will expand to show a carousel of products, complete with images, pricing, average star ratings, and labels like “Free shipping.”

This format will transform the Promotions tab into a lightweight shopping platform rather than just a folder for marketing emails.

Screenshots from the test, shared by Thomas Eccel of JvM IMPACT, show pool cleaner brands iRobot and Wybot using the new format.

The layout mirrors a mini product gallery, encouraging users to explore multiple listings directly from their inbox.

This new format blends Google’s Demand Gen targeting with product-first visuals that resemble its Shopping ads.

If it goes ahead, it could allow ecommerce brands to connect with users in a space that’s usually for promotions and announcements rather than transactions.

Marketers who focus on performance and conversions will likely see this as a new way to capture user interest in an already attention-saturated environment, but for those of us who don’t want to be sold to in our inbox, it might feel like one more ad too many.

Still, it’s hard to deny that it’s a good fit for Google's email provider. Gmail already filters out promotional content, and this gives the company a way to use that space for ads that look native to the experience.

It also fits a broader move by Google to inject more native ecommerce features into its platforms.

Search Engine Land points out that if the test succeeds, the ad format could expand to surfaces like Discover and YouTube, which are already part of Google’s Demand Gen campaigns.

You might also like

• These are the best ad blockers around today
• Google says the UK needs to do more to adopt AI, then it can reap the benefits
• Google blocked over 5 billion ads in 2024 as AI-powered scams skyrocketed

• Gemini in Workspace presents unique opportunities for fraud, researchers warn
• The AI tool can be tricked to display fake security warnings
• Businesses should make sure invisible text is not processed by the AI

Cybercriminals have found a creative new way to abuse Google’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to steal people’s Gmail accounts.

Google introduced Gemini, its AI-powered chatbot assistant into its Workspace suite of productivity apps some time ago, and one of the things Gemini can do is summarize incoming emails - so when a person receives an email, they can bring up a vertical pane on the right-hand side of the screen, asking Gemini for assistance with different things, such as bringing up vital email information, adding calendar entries, and more.

However experts have warned this also opens up the Gmail accounts for so-called “prompt-injection” attacks - so if the incoming email message contains a hidden prompt for Gemini, it can be executed in the pane.

Is Gemini phishing for your password?

According to security researcher Marco Figueroa, this is exactly what the email provider is now susceptible to.

By using HTML and CSS, threat actors can add a prompt for Gemini, with its font size set to zero, and its color to white. Therefore, the victim will not be able to see it, but Gemini will act on it. If that prompt makes Gemini display a phishing message, it will do just that, and since the message would come from a trusted source, it increases the chances of success.

Figueroa showed how a malicious prompt could notify the victim that their email account has been compromised, and that they need to “call” Google on a phone number displayed in the message to resolve the issue.

To protect against future prompt injection attacks, companies should make sure their email clients remove, neutralize, or ignore content that is styled to be hidden in the body text. Furthermore, they could include a post-processing filter that scans the inbox for “urgent messages”, URLs, or phone numbers.

Finally, businesses should educate their employees that summaries provided by the Gemini tool should not be a replacement for security alerts.

Even though there is no evidence that prompt-injection attacks are being used in the wild, Google acknowledged their existence and is working on mitigations.

In an emailed statement shared with TechRadar Pro, a company spokesperson confirmed that defending against prompt injection attacks is a priority at Google:

"We are constantly hardening our already robust defenses through red-teaming exercises that train our models to defend against these types of adversarial attacks,” they said.

Google has also recently published a blog outlining the specific defenses it is currently deploying for prompt injection-style attacks. These defenses are currently mid-deployment, t was added.

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Claude AI and other systems could be vulnerable to worrying command prompt injection attacks
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• Gmail will now display how many times you've had emails from subscriptions
• The tool supports one-click unsubscriptions and sender blocking
• Google is also using AI to reduce scams

Gmail is rolling out a new 'Manage subscriptions' feature for mobile and web users to address all the old subscription emails they've gathered over the years in a bid to help declutter email inboxes at last.

The new tool will allow users to view and unsubscribe from all active email subscriptions in one place, from the navigation drawer of the app or website.

Initially tested earlier in 2025, the feature is now being widely rolled out across Android, iOS and web experiences, with full availability coming in the next two weeks or so.

Gmail wants to make it easier for you to unsubscribe from junk mail

Besides listing all active subscriptions from the likes of newspapers, subscriptions and shops, the popular email provider will also help you identify which subscriptions to cut by showing the number of emails you've received from each sender in recent weeks.

Senders who support one-click unsubscribe will be the easiest to get rid of, but Google has thought about ones that don't by building a sender blocking tool into the feature, too.

Separate research from EmailTooltester suggests that the average email user now receives more than 80 messages per day, nearly half of which (49%) are spam – the equivalent of 162 billion spam emails sent globally every day.

Although Google claims that AI-based filters have helped reduce scam emails by 35%, that only addresses malicious emails. With many users now counting two or more decades of online life behind them, the number of inadvertent mailing lists plaguing Gmail inboxes is at an all-time high, with many stemming from before enhanced consumer protections like newsletter opt-in came in.

You might also like

• We've listed the best VPN services
• Gmail is adding a new Gemini AI tool to help smarten up your work emails
• Need to reach new audiences? Consider the best online marketing services

• Socket found seven malicious packages on PyPI
• The packages were abusing Gmail and WebSocket
• They were removed from the platform

Several malicious PyPI packages were recently observed abusing Gmail to exfiltrate stolen sensitive data and communicate with their operators.

Cybersecurity researchers Socket, who found the packages, reported them to the Python repository and thus helped get them removed from the platform - however the damage has already been done.

According to Socket, there were seven malicious PyPI packages, some of which were sitting on the platform for more than four years. Cumulatively, they had more than 55,000 downloads. Most are an imitation of the legitimate Coffin package, with names like Coffin-Codes-Pro, Coffin-Codes, NET2, Coffin-Codes-NET, Coffin-Codes-2022, Coffin2022, and Coffin-Grave. One was called cfc-bsb.

Compromised hosting accounts

The researchers explained that once the package is installed on the victim device, it connects to Gmail using hardcoded credentials, and contacts the C2 server.

It then creates a tunnel using WebSockets, and since Gmail’s email server is being used for communication, the communication bypasses most firewalls and other security measures.

As a result, the attackers are able to send commands, steal files, run code, and even access systems remotely.

However, it seems that the crooks were mostly interested in crypto theft, since one of the email addresses the malware was reaching out to had the words “blockchain” and “bitcoin” it it:

“Coffin-Codes-Pro establishes a connection to Gmail’s SMTP server using hardcoded credentials, namely sphacoffin@gmail[.]comand a password,” the report says.

“It then sends a message to a second email address, blockchain[.]bitcoins2020@gmail[.]com politely and demurely signaling that the implant is working.”

Socket has warned all Python users running any of the packages in their environment to remove them immediately and rotate keys and credentials as needed.

The researchers also urged everyone to watch for unusual outbound connections, “especially SMTP traffic”, and warned them not to trust a package just because it was a few years old.

"To protect your codebase, always verify package authenticity by checking download counts, publisher history, and GitHub repository links,” they added.

“Regular dependency audits help catch unexpected or malicious packages early. Keep strict access controls on private keys, carefully limiting who can view or import them in development. Use isolated, dedicated environments when testing third-party scripts to contain potentially harmful code.”

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• US government warns this popular CMS software has a worrying security flaw
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

Gmail is one of the most popular email provider options in the world - at the last big count, there were 2.5 billion active Gmail users worldwide.

I’m one of those users, and I have personal and business accounts, and between the two, I probably receive at least 150 emails daily, most of which are unimportant.

Six months ago, to separate “good” and “bad” emails, I began using automation to clear my Gmail inboxes - and so should you.

By using automation, I’ve eliminated repetitive tasks that used to consume minutes each day and improved my organization. I have also been able to lower my stress, which is perhaps the most crucial advantage.

Rather than searching for a single solution, I implemented a comprehensive system using Gmail's native features alongside strategic third-party tools.

Here's my blueprint:

Use the built-in tools

The foundation of my system relies on Gmail's powerful filtering capabilities, which allow for a highly organized inbox.

I've created filters that automatically sort emails by sender type, applying color-coded labels to visually distinguish different categories of messages, such as work-related, personal, and promotional.

This method not only helps me skip the inbox for non-urgent communications but also automatically archives routine notifications, keeping my inbox clutter-free.

After auditing my inbox for a week, I identified patterns in my messages, which led to the creation of filters based on sender domains and keywords in subject lines. This tailored approach ensures that important emails are prioritized.

Gmail's built-in templates feature has been invaluable, allowing me to quickly respond to common scenarios, such as meeting scheduling, project updates, and customer service inquiries.

Additionally, I’ve learned to use Gmail’s search operators effectively, significantly reducing the time spent locating specific messages.

Some of my most-used operators include:

• `from:name` to find messages from specific senders
• `has:attachment` to locate emails with files
• `after:2025/01/01 before:2025/02/01` to find messages from a specific timeframe
• `is:unread label:important` to find unread priority messages

Finally, I now take advantage of keyboard shortcuts. As a result, my email process has sped up significantly and has eliminated countless mouse clicks from my daily routine. The most valuable shortcuts in my workflow are:

• `c` to compose a new message
• `r` to reply
• `f` to forward
• `e` to archive
• `#` to delete
• `/` to search
• `k` and `j` to navigate between messages

Third-party tools

While Gmail's native features are powerful, I've found tremendous value in three additional tools: Boomerang, TextExpander, and Todoist.

Boomerang

Boomerang has been an absolute game-changer for my Gmail workflow! The "return later" feature has transformed my inbox management. My inbox used to be cluttered with messages I couldn't act on immediately but didn't want to forget.

Response tracking has saved me from awkward follow-up situations countless times. Last week, I sent a time-sensitive proposal for work and set Boomerang to remind me if they didn't reply within two days. When the reminder appeared, I sent a gentle follow-up.

I've also fallen in love with the Respondable feature. As I drafted an important pitch yesterday, the AI suggested tweaking my subject line and shortening a few sentences. The resulting email got an immediate response!

My team meetings are easier to schedule, too - with the one-click meeting tool, I've eliminated those endless back-and-forth emails trying to find a time that works.

These features save at least five hours weekly, making my communications feel much more organized and professional.

TextExpander

I can't believe how TextExpander has revolutionized my daily communications! For years, I was stuck copying and pasting the same responses or typing identical explanations to clients.

Now, I've built a personal library of snippets, saving me hours every week. Just yesterday, I typed "thanks" and instantly expanded a perfectly formatted thank-you email with all my contact details included.

The customization options have been game-changing for my workflow. I created a snippet for project proposals. When I type “proposal,” it inserts my standard template with cursor positions that automatically jump to the areas I need to personalize. I’ve also set up snippets with fill-in fields for client names and project details.

The versatility across platforms has been the most significant surprise benefit. I use TextExpander everywhere - in my email, of course, but also in Word when drafting contracts, in our team's Slack channels, and even on my phone when responding to clients on the go. I've created snippets for social media posts that I can trigger in any browser window.

Honestly, I can't imagine returning to working without it - TextExpander has become as essential to my workflow as my coffee in the morning!

Todoist Gmail Integration

I've completely transformed my email management since discovering the Todoist Gmail integration.

Before, I constantly switched between my inbox and task manager, wasting precious time and often missing important follow-ups.

Now, I've bridged that gap entirely - when client emails flood my inbox each morning, I convert the actionable items into tasks with just two clicks. Each task automatically includes a link to the original email—such a lifesaver when I need context later.

I installed the Chrome extension rather than the Workspace add-on since I primarily work from my laptop, and it's been seamlessly integrated into my workflow.

What I love most is how I can track, prioritize, and complete tasks without ever leaving Gmail. For urgent client requests, I add high-priority flags and specific due dates for urgent client requests, which has eliminated those embarrassing "sorry for the delay" responses I used to send.

My team has embraced it too - when I receive project requests that belong to my colleagues, I assign them directly from my inbox, add clarifying notes, and can track their progress in Todoist.

The real-time syncing across my devices means I can manage follow-ups from my phone while commuting or from my tablet during meetings.

Since implementing this system, my workday feels considerably more organized. I've significantly reduced those panicked "I forgot to reply to that important email" moments, and I'm focusing on actual work instead of constantly managing my inbox.

The time saved from not manually creating tasks has been substantial, probably saving me an hour each day.

For someone like me who regularly deals with email overload, this integration has been the streamlined solution I desperately needed to stay focused and ensure nothing important slips through the cracks.

Take it slow

The bottom line: Taking a measured approach before diving into Gmail automation is super helpful for your productivity and digital well-being! When you start slow, you really get to know your email habits and discover what truly needs automating. Plus, it keeps things simple and manageable.

Raise your hand if you have accidentally sent personal or sensitive information to the wrong person. I see you out there, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and, if I'm being honest, I'm raising my hand right along with you.

By now, we all know the embarrassing tale of military action plans accidentally sent to an Atlantic editor who was somehow added to a secure Signal chat. It was embarrassing, but now it sounds like it might have been a shockingly relatable mistake and one we can all learn from – including me.

Essentially, a new report claims that Atlantic EIC Jeffry Goldberg's phone number was listed as an alternate contact number for a National Security spokesperson. That's possibly how Goldberg ended up in the incredibly sensitive chat. Waltz selected his spokesperson to add, but the number chosen was Goldberg's.

When I read this I had a shudder of recognition. Our contact systems are smart, fluid, and maybe a bit too fleet-footed at times. Allow me to unburden myself.

What did I just do?

A few weeks back, I was working on some personal and rather sensitive documents that I then wanted to send to my wife. I quickly compiled what I needed, opened Gmail, typed in the recipient, attached the documents, and hit send. I didn't think much of it until my wife quizzed me about the whereabouts of said documents.

I knew I sent them, but I wondered if they'd gotten stuck in the outbox – a rare occurrence that would usually indicate a network issue. Nope, the email showed up in Sent – and then I noticed something horrifying. I had not sent the documents to my wife. Instead, they went to a random business contact whose name and email address also started with "L."

Gmail had autocompleted the address with the first matching email address, and I never looked twice. It was a whopper of a mistake – not national security level, but still big in my world. It was too late to recall the message, so I sent a follow-up to the contact, begging them not to open the doc and delete the email.

It was not my best moment, and I again had a twinge of empathy for Waltz.

Slow down, dude

The reality is that our social media, communications, and email systems are not there to ensure that you use the right phone numbers, handles, and email addresses.

Instead, they go for speed and, in email, autocompleted addresses, which can help you find long or forgotten ones, can be quite useful. But they're also a little dangerous.

Unless you're a salesperson with a customer relationship management (CRM) system, you probably don't spend much time managing the details of any contact.

You might only have an email address. Maybe only a first name. Your contacts may have duplicates with different and old email addresses and phone numbers (the startup Sunshine Contacts is supposed to address some of this).

You might get a new number for a contact and add that. On my iPhone, when I add or update a contact's info, there is a moment of trepidation as I try to figure out if this is a new contact or details for one I already have on my iPhone.

We don't spend enough time, I think, making sure our contact databases on our iPhones and mail systems are up to date, and perhaps we're not being careful enough about our contacts across all our systems.

Caught in a random loop

Think about how many times a random number pops up on your phone with a text or call. Usually, it has no name attached, and your phone is of little use in helping you ferret out if this is a known or unknown person.

For instance, my iPhone sometimes indicates that something is potential SPAM, but it does not do this often enough.

Perhaps because I talk to so many people through Slack or text, I barely know anyone's phone number by heart (I'm even worse with email addresses). It's no wonder I don't know the difference between known and unknown numbers.

I also have way too many email addresses in my system and need a smarter way of cleaning and managing them. I cannot afford to (again 🤦🏼‍♂️) accidentally send sensitive info to the wrong place.

AI to the rescue?

Here's a place where AI can help. If Google Gemini knows I'm sending personal documents, it'll also know not to randomly slide in a business contact's email address. Instead, the list of potential recipients would be narrowed to just my personal contacts and maybe only those identified as family members.

I could always add in others I need, but I do it without Gmail helpfully autocompleting them. And if Siri and Apple Intelligence ever get as smart as promised, it might be able to know that the Signal or Whatsapp chat you're about to start is too sensitive to include "Jeffrey" from the Atlantic.

The lesson, if there is one, is that we all need to verify every number and email address we include in a thread or group chat. Compile the list, double-check it against your contact database, and then check it again.

You think it can't happen to you until you create that WhatsApp chat group to trash-talk your job and realize that someone accidentally added the boss. Or you send a private email to someone who should never receive it.

Take it from me: don't assume it can't happen to you, and do all you can to make sure it never does.

You might also like

• 5 things I want from the iPhone 17 – or I'm out and back to .
• Signalgate explained: what is Signal, and how secure is ...
• This iPhone feature has been blamed for the Signalgate fiasco – here’s how to avoid your own group chat nightmare

• New Gmail E2EE method uses client-side encryption and customer-controlled keys
• Gmail and non-Gmail users will all be able to open encrypted emails
• It even works with organizations using S/MIME

Gmail enterprise users will be getting a new and improved end-to-end encryption model to keep their data safe in their email client, the company has revealed.

With the update, business users will be able to send encrypted emails to recipients using any email services, not just fellow Gmail users.

The change welcomes the simplification of the encryption process, eliminating the need to exchange certificates.

Gmail enterprise users are getting better E2EE

Explaining why the updated system is better, a blog post from Google Workspace Senior Product Manager Johney Burke and Product Manager Julien Duplant explained S/MIME requires certificates to be deployed and exchanged between all users before sending encrypted messages.

The Google leaders also noted that few organizations actually use S/MIME due to the complexity and cost.

Gmail’s new E2EE works by using client-side encryption and customer-controlled keys, which allows it to work regardless of the recipient client’s chosen email platform.

If the recipient is using Gmail (either as an enterprise or personal customer), the email will auto-decrypt in the inbox. Non-Gmail users will receive a link to view the message via a restricted version of Gmail. For companies that use S/MIME, Gmail will send an encrypted email via this method for a more seamless experience.

“IT teams also have the option to require all external recipients (even if they are Gmail users) to use the restricted version of Gmail,” Burke and Duplant added. “This helps ensure that their organization’s data does not end up stored on third-party servers and devices.”

Alongside the new encryption method, Google has also added a client-side encryption default mode so that IT teams can enforce encryption for sensitive teams, classification labels for easy email identification, data loss prevention (DLP) and a new threat protection AI model to improve spam and phishing detection.

For now, early access to E2EE emails in Gmail is only available via request.

You might also like

• Proton Mail is now letting users hide their real email address
• These are the best email service providers around
• Check out the best cloud storage platforms, including encrypted options

• Contextual Smart Replies comes to Gmail Business and Enterprise tiers
• Users will be given a selection of pre-written replies to emails
• Suggestions will consider the entire email thread

Finding the right words for those important business emails could soon be easier than ever thanks to a new Google Gemini AI tool for Gmail.

The email provider is adding "contextual smart replies" into Gmail for its business-focused offerings, allowing its Gemini AI tool to do the heavy lifting (and thinking) when it comes to writing better emails.

The feature uses Gemini to analyze the context of an email, and then suggest and offer more detailed responses in order to, "fully capture the intent of your message".

Smarter replies in Gmail

The tool is targeted at workplace usage, and will be added to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans without the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on.

"The contextual Smart Reply feature saves time and makes replying to emails more efficient," the blog post added, noting it would be ideal for those "short on time or need help finding the right words."

When launching an email reply, users will now be given several response options generated by Gemini at the bottom of their screen

Hovering over a response will provide you with a quick preview of the text, which takes the full content of the email thread into consideration. When selected, the email can be sent straight away, or edited further if needed.

The tool is available now across Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard, and Plus tiers, along with Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus tiers.

The news follows the launch of Smart Replies in Gmail back in September 2024, which offered a selection of pre-written responses.

Gmail also recently rolled out a new, smarter search function that will list results in terms of relevance, rather than just in chronological order.

Factoring in details such as recency, most-clicked emails, and frequent contacts, the company says this means the emails you’re actually looking for should be far more likely to be at the top of your search results.

You might also like

• Google is ditching SMS - and will now use QR codes for Gmail account authentication
• Struggling to find emails in Gmail? Google’s new filter could soon ease your headaches
• Gmail remains by far the most popular email service — but competition is rapidly building

• Gmail reveals new way of displaying search results
• Users can choose between "Most relevant" and "Most recent" results
• Gemini AI looks at details such as favorite contacts to determine what is relevant

Finding the email you need in a crowded Gmail inbox should finally be a lot easier thanks to another AI-powered new update.

The email provider is rolling out a new, smarter search function that will list results in terms of relevance, rather than just in chronological order.

Factoring in details such as recency, most-clicked emails, and frequent contacts, the company says this means the emails you’re actually looking for should be far more likely to be at the top of your search results.

Gmail "Most relevant"

“With this update, the emails you’re looking for are far more likely to be at the top of your search results — saving you valuable time and helping you find important information more easily,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the news.

Users will still be able to search for the most recent results, with Gmail adding a toggle to switch between "Most relevant" and "Most recent" results, based on how they like to search.

Google says the move can help reduce search time, pinpointing the information people are looking for more quickly and accurately.

The feature is rolling out now to personal Google accounts across the world, and will be available on the Gmail app for Android and iOS, with business users also set to receive the feature soon.

You might also like

• Google is ditching SMS - and will now use QR codes for Gmail account authentication
• Struggling to find emails in Gmail? Google’s new filter could soon ease your headaches
• Gmail remains by far the most popular email service — but competition is rapidly building

One of the advantages of upgrading to Gemini Advanced via the Google One AI Premium paid plan ($19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99) is that you get 'Gemini in Gmail'. This gives you access to Gemini's AI features right in your Gmail app, and for me it's been a complete game changer.

You can also get 'Gemini in Gmail' as part of Google Workspace, and it comes free for a year if you've just bought a new Pixel phone, but however you get access, it's worth investing your time in.

Last year, a study conducted by Cost Plus Drugs concluded that adding Gemini to its Google Workspace account saved employees about 5 hours a week using the AI capabilities in Gmail alone. I’ve been using 'Gemini in Gmail' for a few months now and I think that figure is accurate for me too, so here are my top three tips:

1. Adopt the Gemini approach to email

Firstly, let’s get something out of the way. Gmail is, and always has been, a big cluttered and confusing mess. There, I’ve said it. I have always found it impossible to organise a Gmail inbox because you can’t simply drag messages into folders and out of your inbox as you intuitively think you should be able to. Instead you have to create and apply labels. Except nobody has got time for that.

The solution is to forget about trying to organize your inbox. Rather than try to hold back the river, just let the emails flood in and then use Gemini to find what you’re looking for.

If you've got access, you'll see the familiar Gemini star icon is up there next to your profile picture in the phone interface, and in the web browser interface, too. Tap or click this and you can enter a prompt, just as if you were talking to Gemini the AI chatbot. For example, “Show me unread emails from today” is one it often suggests. That can be a great way to get a handle on what’s going on, but you can type pretty much anything you like into the Gemini prompt bar.

For example, I get a lot of emails from the school my sons go to, most of which are not relevant to me. One of my favorite prompts to ask Gemini is, “What do I need to know about [name of school] this week?” and I get a curated list of things I actually need to know.

Another good prompt I use is, “What offers have I received this week?” which summarizes them all down nicely, so I don’t miss anything I would actually be interested in.

Another one I use often is, “What emails have I received mentioning [subject] this week?”, which brings up a search page of results. In fact, you can use Gemini as a more human-like way of searching your inbox than Gmail's usual search feature. Type, “Search my emails for the phrase “roasting marshmallows”” for example, and it launches a Gmail search.

In fact, if you ditch Gmail altogether, and go into the Gemini app on your phone, you can search your Gmail inbox straight from there. You can also use Gemini Live, and talk to Gemini to ask it to search your inbox, however, it currently can’t display the results in Live mode, but it can read them to you.

2. Get Gemini to summarize email chains

Another time-suck in Gmail is vast email chains that involve lots of people replying. The formatting structure of Gmail is pretty impenetrable at the best of times, but once multiple replies are involved it’s very easy to miss a vital part of the conversation.

This is where Gemini summaries can come in very handy. Simply select an email chain, then hit the “Summarize this email” button that appears. Gemini will give you a handy bulleted list of the main parts of the conversation, so you can be sure you're not missing anything important.

3. Get help with responses

Stuck for words? Don’t know how to reply to somebody? We’ve all been there. You know what you want to say, but your mind goes blank when it comes to finding the right words to say it? That’s where Gemini can help

Click or tap to reply to an email and you’ll notice that Gemini comes up with some suggested replies for you. These can be useful, but if you really want to get Gemini to save you time, then tap the pen/star icon and a window called “Help me write” appears.

Here you can type in a functional description of what you are trying to say. The trick is to keep it brief, so say something like: “Ask for more information and ask if they’d like to do a podcast with me, maybe”. Tap the Create button, and the email is drafted with a well-written response that asks the key things I want it to. If you don’t like it, there’s a regenerate button, along with options to polish, formalize, elaborate, and shorten.

It takes a while to get used to trusting AI to write things for you, but it soon feels like using a kind of shorthand. You can always edit the draft before you send it anyway.

With these tips I hope you start to see the potential for Gemini in Gmail, and with the news that it's coming to the Calendar app soon, it looks like it's going to get even better. With a bit of practice you’ll soon be smashing your inbox like an AI pro.

You may also like

• I asked Gemini to play a text-based adventure game with me and the AI whisked me away to a word-based fantasy
• Gemini is coming to Google Calendar, here’s how it will work and how to try it now
• I compared GPT-4.5 to Gemini 2.0 Flash and the results surprised me

• Google is working on a new Shielded Email feature, similar to Apple's Hide My Email
• The new tool hides your main email address from service providers when creating accounts
• There's no release date yet, but testers have been able to activate the feature pre-release

If you’re anything like me, your Gmail inbox has slowly filled with promotions, pointless updates, and newsletters from accounts you probably never use, simply because you use the same email address for logging in as you do for actually writing and receiving emails.

Luckily, Google appears to be taking steps to remedy this annoying issue by taking some inspiration from its long-time competitor, Apple.

The new Shielded Email feature for Android phones creates an alias when signing up for new accounts, immediately issuing a new single-use or limited-use email address to use in the sign-up process.

The feature was successfully enabled pre-release by Android Authority which reports that the new tool exists as part of Google’s autofill features, alongside the same pop-ups that appear at the top of your keyboard to automatically type out phone numbers, credit card information, and addresses.

Emails sent to an alias address are automatically forwarded to your main email address, which you can turn off at any point. Using an alias address creates a buffer between you and the service provider, which means fewer people have their hands on your main email.

That buffer also means bad actors can be easily removed from your inbox without having to jump through hoops: you don’t even have to block or unsubscribe from these emails to get them to stop showing up. It’ll also make your online presence harder to track, as your identity will be largely hidden from data collectors who seek to build an image of your activity across various sites and platforms – easily done if you're using the same email address in multiple places.

As mentioned, Shielded Email is effectively the same tool as Apple’s Hide My Email, and seeks to offer a very similar result – though given how much inspiration the best iPhones have taken from the best Android phones over the years, I’m sure we can let Google off this time. There’s no release date yet, though.

What do you think of this new feature? Would you use Shielded email, or do you not care so much about your digital footprint? Let us know in the comments.

You might also like

• I tried this colourful Motorola phone for one week and its super fast charging might change your mind about cheap phones
• Honor rebrands as an 'AI device ecosystem company' and commits to developing a 'super intelligent' smartphone
• The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could have even smaller bezels - and that could mean an even bigger display

Effective communication is essential for any successful business in today's fast-paced digital landscape, and choosing the right email platform is critical to productivity, collaboration, security, and brand image.

Two major players in the business email market are Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Outlook, as both offer a variety of robust features tailored to meet diverse business needs. Still, their strengths and weaknesses may make one more suitable than the other based on your specific requirements.

This article will comprehensively compare Gmail and Outlook for business use, focusing on key features such as email management, collaboration tools, security, integrations, pricing, and user experience. We will outline the advantages and disadvantages of each platform to help you make an informed decision and select the email solution that best supports your business's success.

Gmail vs Outlook for business: features

Gmail and Outlook are both widely used email platforms that offer a range of features for business users.

Gmail is recognized for its user-friendly interface, powerful search capabilities, and seamless integration with other Google Workspace applications. It includes features such as Smart Compose and Smart Reply, which assist users in writing emails more efficiently.

Conversely, Outlook is known for its robust organizational tools, including folders, categories, and rules. These features help users manage large volumes of emails. Additionally, Outlook offers shared calendars and task management functionalities, which are beneficial for team collaboration.

Both platforms provide strong security features, such as spam filtering and malware protection, and are accessible on various devices, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Ultimately, the best choice for your business depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Gmail vs Outlook for business: integration

Gmail and Outlook are two of the most widely used email platforms for businesses, each offering unique features and capabilities that cater to different organizational needs.

Gmail boasts a sleek, modern interface characterized by its simplicity and user-friendliness. It uses a conversational view that enables users to thread email replies, making it easy to follow discussions. Additionally, Gmail offers powerful search functionality, leveraging Google's search algorithms to help users quickly locate emails, attachments, and tasks. Beyond email, Gmail integrates seamlessly with other Google Workspace apps like Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Meet, fostering a collaborative environment where teams can work together efficiently.

On the other hand, Outlook presents a more traditional interface that emphasizes organization and task management. Its layout includes a focused inbox, calendar, and task manager all in one place, allowing users to prioritize their emails and schedule appointments effortlessly. Outlook also supports a robust set of features for managing contacts and creating custom folders for various email categories. When it comes to integration, Outlook works effectively within the Microsoft 365 suite, making it an ideal choice for businesses that rely heavily on Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, and Teams.

Ultimately, the decision between Gmail and Outlook depends on your specific business needs and personal preferences. If your organization requires a strong collaborative platform with a modern approach, Gmail may be the better choice. Conversely, if your focus is on organization and comprehensive task management along with robust integration with Microsoft tools, Outlook is likely to be more suitable. The best fit for your business will hinge on the workflows and tools that your team already uses.

Gmail vs Outlook for business: support

Support options for Gmail and Outlook for Business differ in several ways. Gmail, primarily a web-based service, offers extensive online help resources, including FAQs, tutorials, and community forums. Paid Google Workspace plans provide access to phone and email support with varying service-level agreements. Outlook, as part of the Microsoft 365 suite, also offers comprehensive online resources, but its support structure is more tiered. Microsoft 365 subscribers typically have access to phone and email support, with higher-tier plans often including priority support and faster response times. Additionally, Outlook benefits from a vast user base and a wealth of third-party support resources, such as online tutorials and training materials.

Gmail vs Outlook for business: pricing

For business use, both Gmail and Outlook provide tiered plans that offer different features and pricing. Gmail, through Google Workspace, starts with the Business Starter plan at $6 per user per month. This plan includes 30GB of storage and essential Workspace applications. Higher tiers, such as the Business Standard plan at $12.50 per user per month, offer increased storage and additional features like video conferencing.

Similarly, Outlook, as part of Microsoft 365, has comparable pricing. The Business Basic plan also starts at $6 per user per month and includes 1TB of storage along with online versions of Office applications. More advanced plans, like Business Standard at $12.50 per user per month, provide desktop versions of Office apps and enhanced features.

While both platforms offer similar basic features, they differ in terms of storage, included applications, and advanced functionalities such as security and compliance tools. Therefore, the best choice will depend on the specific needs of your business.

Gmail vs Outlook for business: verdict 

When comparing Gmail and Outlook for business use, the best choice largely depends on the specific needs and priorities of the users. Gmail stands out with its intuitive interface, seamless integration with Google Workspace, and strong collaborative features. It is an excellent option for businesses that prioritize real-time communication, cloud-based workflows, and a modern, streamlined experience. Smaller teams, startups, and organizations already invested in Google’s suite of applications will likely find Gmail to be a natural fit.

On the other hand, Outlook is a robust option for businesses that value strong organization, advanced email management tools, and tight integration with Microsoft 365. Larger enterprises, organizations with complex compliance requirements, and those that rely on traditional desktop applications may find that Outlook’s feature-rich environment is better suited to their needs.

Ultimately, the decision should be based on a careful evaluation of specific business needs, existing infrastructure, and user familiarity. This will help determine whether Gmail's simplicity or Outlook’s comprehensive functionality offers the optimal solution.

• We've listed the best alternative email apps for iOS

• Google has released the 2024 Timeline update, a Spotify Wrapped-style recap for Google Maps
• The recap uses location data to list the countries, cities, and places you visited in 2024
• You can also check out how much time you spent on certain activities

Google is rolling out a recap of users' travel history across 2024, using Google Maps’ timeline history function to produce a Spotify Wrapped-style recap of each user’s journeys, trips away, and total distance traveled.

Somewhat flavorlessly titled the “2024 Timeline update”, the recap allows users to review their travels over the past year as recorded by the timeline history feature found in the Google Maps app.

The recap, shared via Gmail, recounts the number of countries, cities, and individual places visited, with photos taken from the internet used to illustrate your chosen locales.

It also presents charts detailing the amount of distance covered by walking and driving, and uses your location history to estimate how much time you spent on various activities, like shopping and dining.

For those unsatisfied with pedestrian units of measurement like miles and kilometers, the recap also tells you your total distance traveled as a multiple of the circumference of the Earth.

The recap is, well, capped off with a smaller graphic containing your all-time stats for countries and cities visited, so you can see just how much you added this past year.

We previously reported that Google had begun preparing users for changes to its timeline history feature, such as moving this data from the cloud to specific devices and automatically deleting it after three months. This also means location data will not be shared between devices going forwards.

As Android Police reports, having auto-delete switched on will affect the amount of information shown in the 2024 Timeline update.

The Google Maps 2024 Timeline update is available now. For the latest news on Google’s mobile apps and operating system, check out our Android coverage, and for all things mobile be sure to check out our general phones coverage.

You might also like

• The iPhone 17 series could get a curvy upgrade, and I'd welcome the change
• Samsung sets Unpacked for January 22 and we're ready for the Samsung Galaxy Ultra S25
• Samsung Galaxy phones are officially getting Qi2 wireless charging in 2025 – as more Galaxy S25 renders leak

• Code for a ‘Shielded Email’ feature is in the Google Play Services APK
• You’ll seemingly be able to use a temporary email address to avoid spam
• Doing so could also avoid your real email being leaked in a data breach

Gmail could offer the ability for users to create temporary email addresses, for signing up to online accounts or services they may be unsure about, allowing people to hide their real email address and avoid being spammed in the future (or perhaps worse dangers than that).

Android Authority got the scoop on this after digging around in the inner workings of the new 24.45.33 release of the Google Play Services APK, which contains references to ‘Shielded Email’ and a bunch of clues as to how this feature will work.

You’ll be able to create a shielded email – a temporary (Google-generated) email address different from your actual Gmail address, the mail to which gets forwarded to your Gmail inbox – when you’re forced to enter an email to sign up for an app, for example, or a website.

In these cases, with an unknown or less trustworthy firm, if you enter your real email address, you might then be spammed repeatedly by the company or website you’ve signed up with. When that inevitably happens, you can simply turn off that secondary email address – just bin it – and voila, no more spam emails.

As one of the strings of text in the hidden bits of code puts it: “To control spam, you can turn off forwarding at any time in your Google Account.”

Getting out of that bind is obviously not as simple as that if you’ve provided the company with your real email address.

Analysis: Security benefits

What’s also important to note is that this could be a real lifesaver of a security feature in some ways. By which we mean if you gave your real email address to a company that had lax security, and that outfit then suffered a data breach in which your email was compromised – that’s obviously very bad news. If you used a shielded, temporary email, and that’s leaked instead, then that’s no big deal – just bin it, as noted above, and the problem is solved.

This is a pretty cool addition for Gmail then – assuming it happens, of course. Right now, all we have is some code hanging around in the background, which might ultimately come to nothing. The good news is that Android Authority has also noticed a mention of shielded emails appearing in Google’s Autofill settings menu on Android, so that’s a positive glimmer of hope this is really happening.

And for those of you thinking – this sort of one-off or temporary email feature is nothing new, and you can get it from a variety of sources – well, yes, that’s true. However, having the functionality right there, integrated into Gmail, would be a considerable boon in terms of seamless access to temporary emails, with no fuss or messing about.

You might also like

• Struggling to find emails in Gmail? Google’s new filter could soon ease your headaches
• Google is 'reimagining' Android to be all-in on AI
• Gemini's next evolution could let you use the AI while you browse the internet

• Researchers spot new phishing campaign distributing Rhadamanthys infostealer
• The crooks are impersonating entertainment, media, and tech firms
• The campaign is automated and abuses Gmail

Scammers have been spotted sending out fake copyright infringement violation claims as part of a new phishing campaign aiming to spread the latest version of the Rhadamanthys Stealer malware.

Cybersecurity researchers Check Point Software, who dubbed the campaign CopyRh(ight)adamanthys, noted the crooks were casting a wide net, targeting as many companies as possible.

At the same time, they were also impersonating a large number of different organizations, but due to their high online presence, and frequent copyright-related issues, the majority (70%) were from the entertainment, media, and tech industries.

End of life

Despite Rhadamanthys being a powerful infostealer, this doesn’t seem to be a campaign orchestrated by a nation-state. Rather, the group behind the attack is most likely financially motivated. In its attack, the group uses dedicated Gmail accounts, sometimes targeting the same victim from multiple addresses. They also seem to be using AI capabilities efficiently, not just to create convincing phishing emails, but also to automate the attacks, as well.

The key of the campaign, Check Point Software argued, is to implement an updated version of Rhadamanthys. The author claims this version comes with advanced AI-driven features, a claim that was apparently refuted. The tool was proven to use older machine learning techniques, seen in optical character recognition (ORC) software.

“The attackers may be leveraging AI-enhanced automation tools to create phishing content and manage the high volume of Gmail accounts and diversified phishing needed for the campaign,” the researchers concluded.

The Rhadamanthys infostealer is a type of malware designed to steal sensitive information from infected systems, including login credentials, browser data, and cryptocurrency wallet details. It operates by capturing data from popular web browsers, email clients, and other applications where users may store credentials or personal information.

The tool can also log keys and record keystrokes, as alternative means of stealing passwords and other sensitive data. The malware is often distributed through phishing campaigns and malicious attachments.

You might also like

• That Google Meet invite could be a fake, hiding some dangerous malware
• Here's a list of the best firewalls today
• These are the best endpoint protection tools right now

Scanning documents is a hugely useful life skill for personal reasons, like saving old photos, and professional reasons, like sending official documents or singing a document. In 2024, thanks to smartphones, scanning is really simple. 

Many of the best printers also come with scanners built-in, combining two useful features into one device. It's worth checking out the best all-in-one printers, which can come with scanners equivalent to standalone scanners. 

Today, we'll learn how to scan a document in an email using a scanner or a smartphone to scan the document before importing it into an email on Gmail, Outlook, and the Apple Mail app. 

• The best email provider: Choose the best email provider for you

Tools and requirements

• A document to scan
• A smartphone or scanner
• An email app

Steps for how to scan a document in Word

• Scan the document
• Open the email app
• Import and send the document

Step by step guide

FAQs for scanning a document in an email

Final thoughts

Being able to scan a document is a really useful life skill and can help in professional and personal contexts, as well as for preserving old documents and ensuring that nothing can be lost. 

All major email apps like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail include the ability to easily open and send scanned documents. Improvements in smartphone cameras mean that a document scanner is almost always with you, too. 

We hope this guide was helpful, and thanks for reading. 

• 5 mistakes to avoid when scanning documents using a smartphone

Google could add a useful new filter to its Gmail app that could help you more easily locate emails lost somewhere in your inbox.

Android Authority reports that after rummaging around in the code of the Gmail app (a version released earlier in October), it discovered the new filter option for the search box that’s present at the top of the screen in the mobile application.

As things stand, you can type your search term in here, and Gmail will return a couple of ‘top results’ as most likely suggestions for what you want to find, and a bunch of other results (labeled ‘results in emails’) below in date order (from most recent, going back chronologically).

The new filter is placed below the search bar and allows the Gmail user to choose between highlighting ‘most relevant’ and ‘most recent,’ and hopefully by switching, you could more easily find any given email if it’s not popping up readily after your initial search.

Android Authority further observes that the cards that are normally present only in shopping order emails – showing order and shipment details – are being displayed in search results, too.

Analysis: Still early days

Note that this change is only present in the Gmail mobile app, and not the web version of Google’s email client. However, it could come to the latter eventually – if anything comes of the filter at all, that is. Just because the feature is in the mobile app’s code, doesn’t mean it will be realized – it might just be an idea Google toys with, then ultimately abandons (given it’s not even officially in testing yet).

In case there was any doubt, Gmail remains the most popular email service, as shown clearly in a recent poll conducted by TechRadar – almost 70% of respondents said they used Google’s client. Google pushes forward with developing Gmail on a continual basis, of course, and we can expect AI to debut soon enough – in fact, Gemini is already in place for Google Workspace users.

You might also like

• Google is 'reimagining' Android to be all-in on AI
• Google's Gemini AI app could soon let you sync and control music
• Gemini's next evolution could let you use the AI while you browse the internet

• Gmail users are reporting issues with the email service today
• The problems include long loading times and sluggish performance
• Google hasn't yet acknowledged an issue – we've contacted it for a response

If you've been trying to use Gmail today and found it to be sluggish, unresponsive, or unusably slow, you aren't alone – a growing number of reports suggest there could be a widespread issue, even though Google hasn't (yet) officially acknowledged a problem.

A large spike in reports from around 8.30am ET / 12.30pm GMT on Downdetector show that hundreds of people are reporting Gmail issues including long loading times, lost server connections, and an inability to send or receive emails. At the time of writing, there were over 500 reports in the US on Downdetector, with the numbers continuing to rise.

Google's Workspace dashboard isn't currently showing any problems and Google hasn't officially commented on the reported issues. We've asked Google for a response and will update this story when we hear back.

The issues have been experienced across the TechRadar team today when accessing Gmail in a desktop browser, though some on Downdetector are reporting problems in the app, too. Some other symptoms we've experienced include blank screen and sluggish performance. The issue is potentially a caching problem, as we've found that refreshing or reloading the web page has occasionally helped.

A significant spike

Today's Gmail issues have mostly been reported in the US, but also seem to be global with users in regions like the UK also reporting similar frustrations.

The majority of the reports are for the browser-based version of Gmail, though a small number (5%) say the app is also affected.

Google hasn't yet commented on its social channels, but on the likes of X (formerly Twitter) many Gmail users are venting about the problems, which include "infinite loading" and "slow and laggy" performance.

Some have found that refreshing the browser has eased the problems, but the issues continue for many. We'll update this story as soon as we hear back from Google.

You might also like...

• Gmail remains by far the most popular email service — but competition led by Outlook and ProtonMail is rapidly building, TechRadar poll finds
• Gmail is getting tough on spam — new security rules should help clean up your inbox for good
• Gmail just gave Android fans a speedier way to reply to emails

For a long time, email phishing scams have often been a poorly-worded, typo-ridden, desperate plea for funds, that will of course be paid back tenfold. Well, now that our guard is down, AI is here to make sure we don’t get too comfortable.

A new, hyper-realistic scam is hitting Gmail users, and the AI-powered deceptions are capable of fooling even the most tech-savvy amongst us. In this new wave of fraud, the classic ‘Gmail account recovery’ phishing attack is paired with an ultra-realistic voice-call to trick users into a panic.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft solutions consultant, Sam Mitrovic, explained how he almost fell victim to the elaborate scam, and he recounts an account recovery notification that was followed by a very real sounding phone call from ‘Google Assistant’.

Don’t get caught out

Mitrovic revealed repeated emails and calls were sent from seemingly legitimate addresses and numbers, and that the way he cottoned on to the scam was by manually checking his recent activity on Gmail.

This is part of a worrying larger trend of a ‘deepfakes’, which are already targeting businesses and consumers more than ever. Criminals can use ultra realistic video or audio footage to trick unsuspecting users into transferring over funds or information.

Almost half of businesses have reported encountering deepfake fraud already in 2024, and the trend looks set to continue.

The key to staying safe from this type of scam is by staying vigilant and taking your time - criminals will almost always try to rush you into a decision or into handing over money or details, but by taking a step back to evaluate, you can get perspective and even an outside assessment from someone you can trust.

Via Forbes

More from TechRadar Pro

• Check out our pick of the best email providers around
• The role of deepfakes in the year of democracy, disinformation, and distrust
• Take a look at our pick of the best identity theft protection

Google just added new Gmail capabilities to its AI tool, Gemini, and one of them is quite possibly the best example I’ve seen of using AI as a computer-generated personal assistant.

If you’re anything like me, your email inbox is nightmare fuel, filled with thousands of unread newsletters and a perpetually growing notification count. It's gotten to the point with my personal Gmail account where I’ll glance every day for a few seconds and run away from the ongoing uncut weeds. My email inbox is like the worst unkept garden you’ve ever seen, one off the side of the highway, the kind you wouldn’t want to walk through at night.

Turns out, however, I’m not the only one with a mess for an inbox, as lots of my colleagues seem to suffer from a similar hell. Based on the people in the office who live in inbox purgatory, I’m going to presume quite a lot of the world struggles with inbox anxiety, so maybe I’m just human like everyone else. Luckily for us, Google has upgraded its AI chatbot, Gemini, with a new tool that could genuinely change your life.

Gemini’s inbox summary tool

Let me paint the picture: I usually ignore my personal inbox all day, often because the iPhone’s Mail app doesn’t send me any Gmail notifications at all. Instead, I finish my work day, sit down on the couch, and then a random thought passes through my brain - Oops I’ve not checked my emails. I’ll then open my inbox, stare at the 20 to 30 new emails, most of which are newsletters I’ve not bothered to unsubscribe from and close the app, anxious but happier to deny my life’s responsibilities rather than face the list of blue dots.

Does this sound familiar? If so, Gemini’s new Google Workspace update could be the AI tool you’ve been waiting for. Now, all I have to do at the end of my day is ask Gemini to “Summarize my inbox” and I get a neat summary of all of the day’s emails. From there, I can quickly check the ones that are important and leave the cluttered mess for another day. I’ve used this Gemini feature for the last few days now and every evening I feel a sense of relief - with my emails under control, I have one less thing to worry about.

From the Google app on iOS or Android, you can simply ask Gemini questions related to your inbox, whether that’s an overall summary of the day’s emails or help finding a specific chain you’re looking for. Every evening this week I’ve used the summary tool and Gemini replies with a breakdown of all my important emails alongside other categories like newsletters and security alerts. From there, I click on what’s important and skip over the mess.

Another great use of the tool is for finding important emails that don’t necessarily flag up with a simple search. For example, I used Gemini to find old emails from my brother sent over 10 years ago and Google’s AI summarized the majority of our exchanges as well as linked to the original source. With such a messy inbox I’ve found it hard in the past to find important emails and this new tool seems to fix that. That said, I have multiple inboxes and at the time of writing this article, Gemini would only search my main Gmail account with a Google One subscription. I hope that in the future you’ll be able to search across multiple Gmail accounts to get a true reflection of your email inbox. I also found some easier search queries didn’t get any result, I expect this to improve over time.

Take control of your Gmail

We’re only at the beginning of what AI has to offer as a tool for a mainstream audience but this kind of Gemini feature is exactly what I want to see more of. Gemini can help find those old emails your ‘dumb’ email app can’t seem to filter out and it can take away that overwhelming feeling where your online life is far too much to handle. While this Gmail integration is now only available for Gemini Advanced subscribers and it’s still pretty basic in its capabilities, it's the first time in a while that an AI tool has had a genuine impact on my daily life.

All I’ve ever wanted from AI is to worry less about the mundane and focus on the best aspects of life. I want to use my iPhone 16 Pro Max to take photos of the fun times, not worry about replying to emails and constantly obsessing over to-do lists. This Gemini Gmail feature feels like one of those AI tools I’ve been waiting for, and it’s only just getting started.

You might also like...

• iPhone 16 review
• iPhone 16 Plus review
• iPhone 16 Pro review

Back in August, Android users got access to a new Gemini-powered feature called Gmail Q&A, available to those with a Google One AI Premium plan or a Workspace account. Now the same feature is going live for iPhone users as well.

As explained in a Google blog post, the idea is you use Gemini to search through your inbox and ask questions about it. The example Google gives is "show unread emails from Jordan" but prompts like "what was I talking about with Chris?" or "tell me about the emails I've had today" work as well.

"Gmail Q&A can help you answer specific questions about your emails, show you unread messages or messages from a specific sender, summarize emails about a topic in your inbox, and even answer general questions from search, all without having to leave your inbox," explains Google.

Right now, the feature is only available in English. If you're not signed up to Google AI Premium ($19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99 a month), you need to have a Workspace account with Gemini add-ons included, and smart features and personalization turned on.

How to use Gmail Q&A

If you meet the criteria for Gmail Q&A, powered by Gemini, you should see the Gemini star icon up in the top right corner of the Gmail app for Android or iOS. If you're viewing a specific email, the same icon is up at the top near the center.

Tap this icon to launch Gemini, and you can start asking questions – it works in a similar way to Gemini on the web, so you can write in a natural way about anything to do with your email. Ask to see certain messages, or get summaries of conversations, or ask about the contents of emails stored in your inbox.

Based on a brief bout of testing, it all works rather well. As always with AI though, it's worth double-checking important information: handily, Gemini provides a list of its sources underneath every answer, so you can tap through on these links to read the emails it's talking about.

This is on top of the other Gemini features already in Gmail, such as tools to help you write or rewrite your emails. In its Gmail Q&A announcement, Google notes similar Gemini search tools will be arriving in Google Drive too in the near future.

You might also like

• Gemini in Gmail will now provide smarter quick replies
• Gmail remains by far the most popular email service
• Google says Gmail is getting even tougher on spam

Sending off quick replies in Gmail is set to get a lot smarter, thanks to a new integration with Google's Gemini AI platform.

The email provider has announced its Smart Replies, which provide users with a selection of pre-written responses that can be quickly selected and sent, will now be powered by Gemini.

The AI tool will be able to pull in information from your inbox, as well as other Google Workspace apps, to offer a fuller, more informative reply, saving users time and stress looking up vital details or data.

Smart replies get smarter in Gmail

In a Google Workspace Updates blog post announcing the update, Google notes users often need to respond to an email with more detail, especially if it is a professional or business message.

Gemini will now, "offer more detailed responses to fully capture the intent of your message," the company says, with the tool saving time and making inbox management easier, especially on a mobile device or when on the go.

After selecting to reply to a message, users will see severral response options at the bottom of their screen, which now analyse the full content of the email thread to provide more detailed, richer responses.

Users can hover over each response to get a quick preview of the text, then select the one that feels right for the situation. You will be able to edit the pre-written message if needed, or send immediately.

Anyone wishing to use the feature will need to ensure “Smart features and personalization” is enabled in Gmail, and have a Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium account, or be signed up to Google One AI Premium.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Need more help? These are the best AI writer tools around
• Some of the world's biggest tech firms have signed up to the EU's promise for safe AI
• Most of us still trust passwords, despite AI security risks

Google has rolled out more Gemini functionality within Gmail for paying subscribers, but only for Android users.

The new Gmail Q&A functionality within the Android app is designed as an on-the-go alternative to the side panel tools for the web experience, and the company has already committed to bringing an iOS counterpart “soon.”

With Gmail Q&A, users can ask Gemini questions about their inbox, find specific details within emails more easily, sort their inbox and generate email summaries.

Gmail app gets new Gemini Q&A feature

Google said: “We are excited to help users supercharge their productivity with the help of Gemini in Gmail.”

Gmail users will need to have smart features and personalization turned on. They can then find the new features within the Gemini star in the top right of the interface.

Looking ahead, Google has already committed to rolling out broader support for the feature within Drive.

For now, though, only Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium customers as well as Google One AI Premium subscribers will be able to access the functionality on Android devices.

Personal subscribers to Google One AI Premium also get access to other AI tools provided to business customers, such as Gemini Advanced and generative AI within Gmail, Docs, Slides and Meet, together with 2TB of cloud storage, Nest Aware and Fitbit Premium. The plan costs $19.99 a month.

The news comes around two weeks after the Silicon Valley giant announced its new smartphones, including the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which are designed to support the latest artificial intelligence.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Google's Gemini AI platform can now help put that final polish on your work emails
• Like the sound of an upgrade? Here are the best business smartphones
• Check out all the best email providers, including Gmail

Sometimes, you just want to fire off a quick email reply from your phone in a few taps, without having to delve into the full reply system and all of its associated tools and controls. In cases like that, some sort of fast reply functionality is ideal.

According to a new blog post, that’s what Google has just added to Gmail’s Android app, with the search giant explaining that the new feature is all about improving the experience for “quick, lightweight responses".

Instead of having to tap Reply, Reply All or Forward when viewing an email, you can now type your response directly into a text box at the bottom of the email thread. Then just tap the Send button and it’ll be delivered to your recipient.

If you want to get the full suite of messaging tools, including those for bold, italic, font color and more, you can just tap a button in the top-right corner of the text box to expand it to the full, regular view. That’s better for “longer, more formal responses,” Google says.

Coming to iOS later

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this feature. It was first noted six months ago in February 2024, but it appears that it wasn’t actually released until now. Still, it’s better late than never.

Right now, this feature is only available for Gmail users on the Android operating system, but Google says that it will be coming to iOS “later this year.” If you are on Android, you don’t need to do anything special to activate this feature – just open an email in the Gmail app on Android, swipe to the bottom of the page and start typing in the text box you’ll find there. When you’re done, just tap the Send button.

Of course, if you’d rather not use Gmail, there are plenty of excellent alternatives, and our round-up of the best email clients will help you pick the one that’s right for you. But if you are a Gmail user – and one that uses the app on Android – this new feature will be another reason to stick with Google’s email service.

You might also like

• Hate replying to emails? Gmail is now making it much easier on Android
• Best email client of 2024
• This new Gmail for Android feature could be a lifesaver in clearing your inbox

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has lost a legal campaign claiming Google acted illegally when filtering campaign emails. 

California federal Judge Daniel Calabretta ruled the state’s Unfair Competition Law did not cover Google’s alleged conduct, and  the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning that whilst the ruling can be appealed, it cannot be brought to another court.

The RNC primarily claimed its campaign emails were filtered into spam at a much higher rate than those of its Democrat opponents, resulting in an indirect ‘illegal corporate contribution to Democrat candidates’, as nonmonetary contributions must be counted towards overall contribution limits.  

 ‘Unfair’ but not illegal

Judge Calabretta acknowledged while Google may not have acted ‘fairly’, the company credibly supported its claim the spam filter existed for ‘commercial reasons’ and therefore was not classified as a campaign contribution,

“The RNC may be correct that Google’s alleged conduct (if proven) is ‘unfair’ in a colloquial sense, the RNC is unable to point to any legislative policy that is implicated by the alleged conduct,” the ruling stated.

The judge found the most convincing demonstration of Google acting unjustly to be that the ‘mass diversion’ of emails stopped once the RNC filed the suit. However, technical considerations may have played a part in this change, and Judge Calabretta did not find legislative policy violations, or ‘sufficient harm to Gmail users’. 

The news marks the second time an RNC claim against Google was dismissed in court, following a similar 2023 suit of ‘discriminatory’ spam filtering, after failing to prove Google acted in bad faith. Likewise, a Federal Elections Commission complaint was filed and lost after the commission found ‘no reason to believe’ Google’s algorithm was weighed against Republicans. 

Google, which has consistently denied political bias in its algorithm, welcomed the ruling. The RNC has not yet offered comment.

Via The Verge

More from TechRadar Pro

• Russian cybercriminals are hijacking domain names — with thousands of sites already taken over
• Stay safe with the best identity theft protection tools we've seen
• Downloaded something dodgy? Check out the best malware removal tools around